Hidden In The Shadows
by Copperpelt
Summary: Demons killed his family. He killed them, only to kill himself with each life taken. Although Shun could care less if he dies, that may change when an old past rears its head. But having a reason to try and live, might be pointless as ever as the sun goes black. Now, there's a question that will hang over his head; live or die? Kinda suck at summaries. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!
1. A Demon's Fate

_Shun_

I chased the creature down the alley of Wardington. It was well past midnight, and most of the sane people in the city were sound asleep, so I had no reason to be fearful of being seen by their eyes. Above me, the monster leaped from rooftop to rooftop with blinding speed.

This one was faster than I had expected, but I wasn't going to lose it. I had spent months hunting for this one in particular, and now I had him in my sights. It glanced down at me with its black, soulless eyes and smirked with that crooked mouth of his. He was certainly confident that I wouldn't catch him, but I was hell-bent on ending this monstrosities life.

He came to a screeching halt, jumped down to the alley below, and faced me. The monster wore its disguise; a human being. It was how he, along with those like him, blended in with the city. People would freak-out if they saw what he really was. If they saw what _any _of us really were.

He growled and said in a rumbling voice, "Don't you have something better to do than chase after the like of me? It would save me, and you, a lot of problems." Its voice dripped with poison and acid that made my skin crawl and stomach turn just to think about it.

I focused my energy and forced a sword to materialize in my hand. I raised the end of it up and pointed it at the creature. "Time doesn't concern me anymore. All that does, is that I see you dead where you stand," I told him coldly. His black eyes showed a spark of amusement.

His laughed boomed against the building walls. "You seriously think you can kill me, Akuma? One of your own kind?" I narrowed my eyes and snapped at him, "I'm nowhere near what you are." He laughed again, only spiking my anger inside. How dare he compare myself to him?

He stopped laughing and stared intensely at me. "Very well," he growled. "I'll make this quick." Its head was thrown back towards the sky, hands and other joints bent and contorted in ways that no earthy creature should have been able to.

The bones in its body cracked and popped as it began to reveal its true form. All that remained the same, were his black, devil eyes. The monster stepped out of its human skin and revealed a creature that should have never existed. Long, skinny arms and legs, a thin black body, wicked fingers and fangs. "Show me what you can do, Akuma," he growled, voice much more deeper and darker than before.

I felt my own skin start to prickle as what was inside begged to leap out and fight. _No, I've spent too much time containing it to allow it out again._ I raised the sword and kept my eyes fixed on the monster. It swayed back and forth, looking bored with me already. "Sometime tonight, my friend," it said.

I charged at it, but it was quicker than I was, and swatted my aside like a fly. My back was slammed into the brick of a wall, and I slid down back to the ground. I landed on my feet, not giving the throbbing pain behind me any attention. It would have its time later, after I killed what was in front of me.

Now that I was sure of how fast he could react, I used my true speed and worked my way behind him. His eyes scanned around frantically for me. Maybe he realized I was a bigger danger to him than he thought. From behind him, I raised my sword and brought it straight down his back.

The creature screamed in pain as the special metal seared through his black, leathery flesh. Thick, black liquid flowed from the gash in his back; his blood. The monster turned to look at me on shaky limbs, its black eyes glaring at me.

Then, it fell forward and vanished into thin air as it died; all that was left to show it had been there, was its blood, but that would pass as an oil stain on the ground.

I then fell down to my hands and knees, clutching onto my sides as I felt a little bit more of my life taken away from me. When it stopped, my body was left drained from all of its energy. Unable to stay awake in this world any longer, I slipped into unconsciousness.

_Shun_

When I woke, I was back in the apartment I lived in. I looked around at the stained white walls and down at the old bed I slept on. That was all that was in the apartment, besides a small love seat and liquor cabinet. A voice somewhere in the room asked, "Have a nice rest?"

I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eye. I told it, "Yeah, I guess so. That last Akuma took a lot out of me." He then appeared. A long, white spirit in the shape of a fox that had a gold band with ancient writings around his neck. A Kanko, or pipe fox to be more exact.

He told me, "I was able to see that when I brought you back here." I slid out of my bed and made my way over to the liquor cabinet, pulling out a random bottle and pouring it into a glass. "And I thank you for that, Kuda," I told him before taking a drink and seating down on the love seat.

I looked out the window and saw the sun was starting to rise. Kuda asked me, "So you did get that Akuma that we've been looking for?" I nodded. Without Kuda, I would be unable to locate most of the demons I hunted. It wasn't his original purpose of this world, but because of a favor he owed me, he helped me out in finding the Akuma that I hunted.

I finished off the last sip of my drink and stared blankly at the glass. He asked, "Should I leave now, Master?" I grinned. He knew me all too well, and that when I did this, I would be lost in thought for a while. "If you wish, Kuda. You know it makes no difference to me."

He nodded and vanished through to wall to go to wherever it was he hid out. I went back to looking at the glass, and at my distorted reflection that looked back at me. _"You seriously think you can kill me, Akuma? One of your own kind?" _I hated when what those monsters said to me would get into my thoughts.

They were hard to get rid of at times. _Akuma, _I thought. Demons. Devils. Whatever people saw fit to call us. Monsters was always a favorable one. I chuckled for a moment, then sighed. Yes, people feared us, but that was only because of stories and tales they had been told.

They never once have seen an actual Akuma. At least, not in this century. So then, why kill my own kind? Why not join them and hide in the shadows of the city and kill people? I probably would have, if they hadn't made my life a horrible one to live. I was different from them. All of my family was.

We could contain the demonic side of us, life peacefully among people and blend in better than any other demon in existence. And, we had human souls. But an Oni, another name for a demon, and a powerful one at that, thought that our kind shouldn't live.

That we were disgraces to Akuma and all demons. They said we were human, not demon cause of the souls that we had. We were different compared to them. I was young when he and a band of fellow demons came and killed my family in front of me. I had been hidden in a closet and watched, silently crying as it happened. The only person they didn't kill, had been my mother and grandfather.

She had been there, but my grandfather had been lucky enough to live somewhere else during the attack. I remembered how I couldn't take it any longer, and ran from the closet, only to discover that they had been waiting outside for me. The Oni who led them there to kill my family, grinned down at me and prepared to take my life as well.

That was when I discovered what kind of power my kind had, and I ended up killing them all. But I wasn't able to control it. When it finally died down and I came to, I saw that the Oni was still alive. But barely. He looked at me and was mumbling something. He then died, and so began my decision to kill as many demons as I could.

But only later did I discover that what the Oni was mumbling, was a curse. With every demon life I took, it took some of my own with it. He knew I would seek revenge for my family. The logical thing would have been to not kill them, but I took the curse in full stride.

If I were to die getting payback for my family, then so be it. I would take as many Akuma down with me as I could before I ran out of life. _Which may be sooner than later._ Last night hadn't been the first time I collapsed after a kill. It had been happening a lot lately.

And it could only mean that I was running out of my time. I could still stop killing them, live out the remainder of my life, but I didn't want to. I didn't want to live and sit by and watched those monsters kill, when I knew I still had some fight left in me. I would have to be dead before I allowed that to happen.

I threw the glass across the room, growing tired at looking at my reflection, and watched as shards rained down like ice. I sighed, knowing I had to clean up the mess. I got up and grabbed the little broom and dustpan from beside the liquor cabinet and began to sweep the mess up.

I realized that I had knocked a picture over when I threw the glass, and I picked it up from the floor. A sad smile formed on my face. It was the picture of the Brawlers from so long ago. They had no clue about the Akuma or even me. I had lost my family and began hunting demons long before I knew most of them.

Dan was the only exception. He knew both me, my mother, and grandfather, but never knew that we were demons. It was after my family was killed, that my mother fell ill. Yet, another curse that had been placed by the Oni, and something new to fuel my reason to keep hunting.

They all just thought she died of true, human illness. But now, our old group had split apart after all these years. All gone and moved to new places. As far as I knew, Dan and Julie were still in Bay City, Murucho was wherever his parents had moved to this time, I couldn't remember where Runo was, and Alice was most likely still in Russia.

All while I remained in the demon overrun city of Wardington. I sighed and put the picture back on the wall. I finished sweeping up the last bits of glass and dumped the contents into a trashcan. Outside, I could hear somebody yelling. I looked out my window and into the alley. _Of course._

I growled and left the old apartment. I went down the stairs and stepped outside into the bright morning light. "What are you doing now?" I snapped. Two faces turned and looked at me. Wrath and Dante, demons that quite often got into arguments with each other but were close friends.

I never bothered to waste my time in killing them because they were of no threat to anyone. _Except each other._ Wrath, running a hand through his spiky, light green hair said, "He started it this time. Not me." Dante punched his friend in the arm, and Wrath grabbed his friend's dark red hair.

The two were yelling again and I shouted, "Shut it!" They both froze, Wrath in a headlock, and Dante about to have a fist punched into his stomach. I held the side of my head, which was starting to hurt either from them, or the need to have another drink.

I told them, "Why don't you two go and settle your differences back at _your _apartments." They released each other and scurried on down the alley. The two lived in the apartments not far from here, but they insisted on fighting in front of the complex I lived in.

I shook my head and growled, then started to go back inside and get another drink when Kuda showed up. I asked, "What's up?" He floated in front of me and said, "I've located another Akuma not far from here." I growled with clear agitation.

Kuda backed away and said, "If you don't want to hunt this one just yet, Master, I can keep his signature locked on until you want to." I shook my throbbing head and told him, "No, Kuda. It's better to go ahead and get rid of this one now. I can't afford another two month hunt." Kuda nodded and told me, "Alright. I'll give you the location."

* * *

_chapter title based off the song A Demon's Fate by Within Temptation. _oh you all know you love me being a workaholic. ;P i never seem to stop. oh well, it gives me something to do that i enjoy. ^^ i think this one will be pretty good. fingers crossed! read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	2. Cancer

_Shun_

Kuda gave me the location of the latest Akuma. Once I knew where to go, the Kanko left; most likely back to the apartment. I mentally psyched myself up. According to Kuda, this Akuma wasn't that powerful. It should be an easy kill for me. But I had never known for an Akuma to attack in broad daylight.

It was uncommon for them. They usually attacked under cover of night. Something didn't feel right about this, and I made a note to keep my guard up for when I found this monster. Kuda's directions led me to an old elementary school. Kids were outside and playing for recess. _Great. Just what I need._

These kids were liabilities. I knew I wouldn't hurt any of them, but the Akuma was another story. It wasn't above them to take the life of a child. I walked around the chain link fence that surrounded the playground in order to keep the children inside and out of the street.

The place had aged drastically from what I remembered. I recalled the days when Dan and I attended this school. _Those were much simpler times, _I thought to myself. It had been before the murder of my family's murder, and way before I began hunting Akuma.

I shook my head, trying to stop myself from reminiscing on old and better times. I had a job to do. I could remember later when I got back to the apartment. I was close to my targeted demon. Even though I was unable to locate them like Kuda, at certain distances I was able to pick up on their dark energy that they emitted.

I ended up making my way behind the school, and went ahead and formed the sword in my hand. The light from the sun lit up the blade and the markings on the metal that allowed it to kill Akuma. A rummaging came from behind a dumpster that was starting to overflow with garbage.

I quietly padded my way over to it and felt my eyes widen in surprise. There was a kid, torn apart and covered in his own blood. Kneeling next to him, was another kid. She had blood all over her face and caked in her hair. She was staring down at her hands as if they were monsters.

I looked around, searching for the Akuma that probably did this. But his energy signature was right in front of me. It was coming from the little girl. She was crying over the dead boy now. Maybe she was a demon, but I had never known them to show any remorse in killing somebody.

They usually got a sick kick out of it. Perhaps she was one of the rare few that didn't like killing, but were forced to out of instinct and need to eat. I said softly, "Hey, are you alright?" I knew if that was the case, she didn't want to kill, or fight for that matter.

She only killed the kid because she needed to eat. The little girl turned around and looked at me. Tears had washed away streaks of blood on her cheeks. She stood up to her feet, and couldn't have been much taller than three feet. Her black eyes looked at the sword in my hand, then up to me.

I told her, "I'm not going to hurt you." _As long as you don't try and hurt me, _I added silently inside my mind. The little girl began to shake violently. She dropped to the ground, body bouncing around as if in some kind of seizure. Something then leaped from her body and landed in front of me.

It was the Akuma I was looking for. Its long, jagged fangs formed into a smile that went from one pointy ear to another. Small spikes jutted out of the spine and elbows on this Akuma. I looked at the little girl behind him. She laid limply on the ground. This creature had been possessing her.

Akuma haven't done that in centuries. The monster charged at me, and I quickly lifted my blade and allowed him to ran right into the tip of the sword. It dropped on the ground and vanished as death took it. I felt more of my life slip my grasp, making me bend over and take in slow, tired breaths.

I ignored my fatigue and made my sword vanish back into my hand, and ran to the little girl. She was unconscious, but alive. That was all that mattered. I had heard stories about Akuma possessing people, and their hosts not being able to handle it. They almost always resulted in death.

I thought about the scene in front of me, and how somebody would react to seeing one dead child, and the other covered in his blood. The little girl would have no recollection on what she did, but there would be questions about the boy. No creature that people knew of could make bites like that.

I had to work quick before somebody saw. My eyes looked around and found an old towel that had been discarded by the dumpster. It would have to do. I clean the blood from the little girl's face and hair. That was all I could do when I heard footsteps coming from the corner. I then bolted from the scene.

_Shun_

I walked up to my apartment, feeling shorter of breath with each step I took. I should have collapsed after killing that Akuma. But I had forced myself against it, which now had only made myself more tired. I just couldn't afford to be found unconscious next to one dead kid, and another who was out cold.

And I didn't want to take the risk of waiting for Kuda to bring me back. I took the apartment keep from under the mat and unlocked the door. Kuda was floating around the room. I slammed the door shut behind me and locked it back, then made my way to my bed.

I collapsed on the mattress and felt my weakened body sigh with relief. Kuda floated over to me and asked, "Easy kill?" I rolled over on my back and told him weakly, "For the most part. It possessed a kid though." I didn't have to see to know that Kuda's eyes were wide.

He said, "Possessed? An Akuma actually did that?" I nodded and felt my mind screaming for me to sleep. I did and it didn't take long for me to go out cold. When I woke up, night had fallen and I guessed I had been asleep a good twelve hours or so. I sat up and saw Kuda curled up and sleeping on the love seat.

I quietly got up, making sure to not wake the sleeping pipe fox, and made my way over to the liquor cabinet. I fixed a drink and left the apartment, then made my way up to the roof. I leaned against the iron railing that lined the roof of the old complex.

If I remembered right, they put the railing up there so people couldn't jump off and kill themselves. I chuckled and took a drink. They didn't have to worry about me jumping off. _As if it'd do anything to me._ I was already killing myself more and more everyday. I didn't need to jump off of a roof to help with the process.

I took another sip of my drink and welcomed the numbing it brought with it. I looked up to the sky, and only saw the stars and the blacked-out shape of the new moon. Below me, I saw two figures running through the alley. _Really? At this time?_

I watched as Wrath and Dante chased each other, yelling threats and obscenities back and forth. I hated being around those two, but I knew if they suddenly vanished, it would be strange without their constant banter. I wouldn't say it'd be quiet. It was never quiet in Wardington. But without them, it might be a tad more peaceful. The two ran into the street and vanished. "Restless?" a voice asked me from behind.

I chuckled and told it, "After a twelve hour nap, yeah." Kuda floated next to me and rested his front feet on the railing. I told him, "I thought you were asleep." His eyes looked down to the alley and said, "How can I sleep when those two are yelling in the middle of the night?"

I laughed, thankful that I wasn't the only one who Wrath and Dante kept up. I swished my drink around in its glass and told Kuda, "I bet you can't wait for me to hurry up and die." That was part of the agreement. His favor was to help me find Akuma until I died. When that happened, he would be free from me.

The white pipe fox looked up at the sky and said, "I might have said that a long time ago, but I don't know about now. I've kind of come to enjoy it." I smiled and told him, "Well, that's the best thing I've heard in a long time." I finished the last bit of my drink and felt as it made my mind fuzzy.

Kuda said next to me, "I don't see why you drink. It's not going to make a difference to you." I shrugged. It wouldn't kill me or make me sick. I told him, "It just makes reality a little easier to handle." In the center of the city, was Wardington tower.

Lights illuminated the structure, proving that it was Wardington's crowing achievement. Kuda's ears pricked up. I asked him, "Find another Akuma?" He nodded and looked at me. "But I'm pretty sure you're not going after it right now." I shook my head.

"No. I think it took too much out of me to kill two within twenty-four hours." When I first started out hunting, I would kill four to five within an hour. But as I ran out of my life and grew tired and weaker, that number drastically decreased. My curse was like a cancer, and killing Akuma was my addiction that only made it worse.

Now, I was lucky if I could kill one Akuma a week. The two I just killed within a short timeframe, took a lot of energy out of me. It would be a couple of days before I fully recuperated and went after another. Kuda suddenly said, "So, that Akuma did possess somebody?" I stared at the Kanko and then nodded.

"Yeah. I was surprised. When was the last time they did that? Two, three hundred years ago?" Kuda closed his eyes and said, "Somewhere around that." I tapped the bottom on my empty glass on the rail and said, "I wonder why that one did it."

They stopped possessing people when priests would perform exorcisms on possessed people, and citizens would still burn people they thought were possessed. The Akuma got tired of dying by the hands of people, so they swore to never possess another human for the rest of eternity.

And Akuma kept their word. _Surprisingly._ Kuda opened his eyes and said, "That Akuma was weak. Maybe he did it as an act of desperation in order to eat." I shook my head, not knowing what to think of the situation. I told the Kanko, "I don't know. But what I do know, is that I hope I don't encounter another one doing that. It was sick and disturbing what that Akuma did."

Below us, Wrath and Dante were running back through the alley, shooting insults at each other. Kuda growled and said, "Excuse me. I'm going to shut them up." He floated down after them and I began counting down. _3, 2, 1._ I heard the two demons scream, then saw them run down the alley.

Behind them, Kuda had used his powers and turned himself into a horrifying demon. I watched as Wrath and Dante ran off somewhere else into the city. Kuda returned back to his real form and floated back up next to me. I was laughing and told him, "Now, you know those two aren't going to come back here for a couple of days, right?"

Kuda closed his eyes and said, "That means a couple of days that I don't have to listen to those to imbeciles." I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Well, I think I'm going back to the apartment." Kuda nodded and followed me. _Maybe now we can sleep without being woken up by those two, _I thought and smiled.

* * *

_chapter title based off the song Cancer by My Chemical Romance._ i do say that this story had a successful chapter. ^^ i just hope the rest are that successful. well, now i must start of my chores. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	3. Death Wish

_Shun_

It was peaceful without Wrath and Dante causing a commotion down in the alley, but I think it was Kuda who enjoyed it the most. I had woken up before my loyal friend and made a drink. I noticed he was smiling in his sleep and let out a relaxed sigh. _To have that much bliss, _I thought.

When was the last time I felt like there wasn't a worry in the world? It had been so long ago that I didn't think I'd remember, but I realized it wasn't. It had been a couple of years ago, and I had been around Alice for a while. I shook the memories from my mind.

"Such a stupid thought," I whispered to myself. On the love seat, Kuda woke up. He stretched his long, wisp of a body and yawned. "I haven't slept like that since before those two moved in those apartments. Wish it could stay like that." I nodded and took a sip of the drink I had made, completely pushing my previous thoughts out of my mind.

Kuda floated over to me and asked, "Any plans today, Master?" I set the glass down and said, "Besides taking a break from hunting so I can recharge, no. Not really." He floated up to the top of the liquor cabinet and sat on it, looking down at me from above.

"When's the last time you just went out for some air? Enjoyed the city?" I looked up at him with a quizzically. I told him, "God, I don't know. Why?" Kuda shrugged his small shoulders and said, "Just wondering." I grabbed my drink and walked over to my bed.

I sat on the edge of it and said, "Do you just want the apartment to yourself today?" Kuda looked around and said with a nervous laugh, "What would make you think that?" I chuckled and told him, "Cause sadly, I know you too well." Kuda sighed and said, "Ok, yeah. Kinda wanted some time to myself."

I finished off the last drop of alcohol in my glass and stood up. "Alright. I'll let you have your free day and get out of your hair. Heck, I might just take up your idea and walk around the city." He floated down from the liquor cabinet and took a new seat in the windowsill.

"See? A relaxing walk could do you some good." I rolled my eyes and told him, "Don't make me change my mind." Kuda folded his ears back and said, "Right. Have fun." I slipped into a light jacket and headed out of my apartment, making sure to hide the spare key under the mat again.

I went down the two flights of stairs and out of the front door. The apartment complex was old enough, and so run down, that the city never bothered putting in an elevator. I didn't blame them, for I hated those things. A cool, autumn wind nipped at my face and neck.

It felt nice out here. I walked along the same sidewalk I used yesterday to get to my previous kill. Along the way, I looked at buildings and alleys that I had killed other Akuma in. It surprised me how many I had killed in the same location and never realized it. In front of an old coffee shop, a stray dog dug around in their trash.

The owner stepped outside with a garbage bag in his hand, which he dropped when he saw his trash torn apart and scattered all into the street. He shouted at the dog and ran it off, then proceeded to pick up the animal's mess.

As I passed by him, I heard him mumbling obscenities at the dog. I kept on my way, rounding corners and passing by strangers. I hadn't just been out and enjoyed the city in some time, and I was sort of surprised when I saw how much had changed.

Buildings I didn't remember before, now stood brand new. All of my time out in the city, was mainly at night. And on top of that, I was too focused on killing Akuma to stop and notice all the changes. I had probably been by these buildings a million times during a hunt, and never known it.

Something caught my senses, and I looked across the street to find Wrath and Dante sitting on a bench and arguing with each other. I was able to hear them fairly clearly. Wrath said, "It's your fault we can't go back to the apartment. I thought other demons didn't scare you."

Dante stared at him then retorted back, "Me! It's you who's the fearless one!" I was tempted to go and tell them they could go back home, but I knew Kuda would make the remainder of my life horrible. So, I didn't bother going over there. I walked a little bit further and found the old lake.

I checked both ways on the street and hurried across. I then walked up the bridge that stretched over the lake, and shut my eyes. This was the place that I was about to battle Dan at so he could pass his test to make Drago evolve, but then Runo stepped in and battled him instead.

I remembered how the freak snow covered everything, and froze the lake beneath the bridge. I leaned against the side of the bridge and looked out over the lake. My attention went from the people on the other side, to my reflection in the water below. I rested my chin on the railing of the bridge and examined myself.

I was pale and had dark circles beneath my eyes. Even through the waves and ripples in the water, I could easily see how sickly I looked. Years of that curse had done this to me. It had made me nothing more than a hollow shell of who I used to be.

There had been days that I wanted my death to hurry up so I would no longer have to deal with looking and what I had become. Looking at how weak I was now, I wanted it to hurry up all that much more. A kid from the bank of the lake, threw a rock.

It landed right next to my reflection, distorting it into nothing more than a wavy mess of color. When the water settled down, I saw not only my reflection, but Kuda's as well. Without looking up, I asked, "Why are you here? I thought you were enjoying some time to yourself."

I had no worries about people seeing him. He was invisible to humans. He said, "I was, but caught the presence of some Akuma." I stood up straight and said, "Keep a lock on them. I told you I wasn't going to hunt for the rest of the week."

Kuda shook his head, eyes hard with seriousness. "No, Master, you don't understand. I can't keep a lock on that many." I had known Kuda to find several demons at once that were scattered around the city. And he could usually only keep a lock on three at the most.

I asked, "Well, where are all of them at, and how many am I looking at?" I started to think this would be it. I would go after these Akuma, and the curse would finally knock me off. Kuda told me, "They aren't scattered around. They're all together." A young woman walked past me.

She was looking around to see who I was talking to, then hurried off when she saw there was nobody else around. "They're all together? Like, in one place?" Kuda nodded then said, "But I'm more worried about how many are in this one place."

I had never seen Kuda this worked up over finding an Akuma before. It actually made me worry. I asked, "How many are there?" Kuda shut his eyes, and I knew he was counting them from here. He opened his eyes and said, "The most I can count in eight, but I'm getting more energy than what eight Akuma can produce." I leaned back against the rail of the bridge and sighed.

"There's no way that eight or more Akuma just happened by chance meet up like this." Kuda sat on the rail next to me and said, "That's what's concerning me." I looked away from him and stared down at the wooden boards that made up the bridge.

I said, "If I go after them, then I'm going to need some help fighting that many. Because there is no way that I have the strength to kill them all." Kuda looked at me and said, "Who are you going to find that will help you? There aren't any other Akuma hunters in this city. You're on your own."

I shut my eyes, then tilted my head up and looked at the pale blue sky. "I know…..I was just saying. So, where are they?" The Kanko turned and pointed with his nose out into the city. "They're at Wardington Tower. But I have to tell you, I picked up a large number of people there as well. Keep up your guard if you go there," he told me. I walked off the bridge, Kuda floating behind me. I told him, "I'll try and take out as many as I can."

_Shun_

Night had fallen quickly. I had just left from my apartment, and according to Kuda, the group of Akuma in Wardington Tower, were still there. I was sitting on the rooftop of a building near the tower. Below in the parking lot, cars filled up nearly every space.

The Kanko told me that he sensed people here as well, but I didn't think there would be this many. This wasn't just late night visitors, this was an organized event. And by the looks of the parking valet and well dressed people, it was a fancy event. I looked up at the top of the tower.

The observatory of the tower was where my latest targets were supposed to be. It would be free of people, since they were not allowed up there after visiting hours. And by the looks of it, the party that was going on, was only in main part of the tower.

I sighed, finding myself ready as ever to get this over with. I jumped from the building and snaked my way through the parked cars. I worked my way around the tower, remembering every entrance on it from my many years in the city. I found the back door, which was blocked by a guard.

I crept along in the shadows, then grabbed both of his arms and slammed him to the ground, knocking him out before he could see me. _He'll be fine,_ I thought and opened the door he was guarding. I hurried into the stairwell before I could be spotted by the people who were patrolling the first floor.

I kept going up till I reached the door that led into the observatory room. It was locked tight. I would have to find another way in, so I went back down the stairs. Now I was back at the main part of the tower. I would stick out in my clothes when I compared them to the clothes of the partygoers.

I looked around and found the steel rafters above. I could walk on them and not be seen. I used my speed and jumped from wall to wall and grabbed onto the steel beam, then pulled myself on top of it. I balanced myself and walked along the beam.

A fall from this height wouldn't hurt me, but it would give me away. I reached the other side and was about to climb into the air duct that led into the observatory room, when I saw several familiar faces. It was Dan and the rest of the Brawlers. _What are they doing here?_

The five of them were standing around and talking to one another. I then saw Murucho's parents, and the whole party made sense then. A part of me wanted to go down there and catch up with them, but I was in the midst of a job.

I was still distracted by my old friends, and didn't notice the pair of hands reaching out of the air duct until they grabbed onto my neck and covered my mouth so I could scream. They then pulled me into the air duct.

* * *

happy friday! friday's dont have a meaning to me anymore. o.o seeing as i'm on summer vacation. -.-'' so, it's just another day for me. there may not be uploads saturday and sunday. (starting to paint my room). so, in the meantime, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	4. The Reaper's Blade

_Alice_

I looked up at the steel rafters that held up the roof above us. Runo looked up there with me and asked, "What are you looking at?" I shook my head and turned my gaze to her. "Thought I saw something," I told her. Runo nodded her head and then looked over at Dan, who was at the dinner table for what seemed like the hundredth time.

She said, "I don't see how he does it." I laughed and asked her, "What? Eat that much and live, or eat that much and not get fat?" Dan walked back over to us with his newest plate of food, and Runo whispered to me, "Both." I giggled, making Dan look at me with confusion, which only made my laughter worse.

He rolled his eyes and turned to Murucho. "The food's great, Murucho," he said with a half full mouth. I could see that Runo wanted to hit him upside the head for his atrocious manners, but she refrained herself from lashing out in this setting.

Murucho scratched the back of his head and said, "Um, thanks, Dan." Music was playing over the loudspeakers, mixing with the chatter of the social elite. Murucho's parents were throwing this party to promote their latest computer software, and we had just been fortunate to be invited.

It was more to catch up than to see what kind of complicated computer program the Marakura's had come up with this time. "I thought you said you'd try and get all of the original six Brawlers to come here, Murucho. So, where's Shun?" Julie asked while swiping a piece of food from Dan's plate.

Murucho shook his head and told her, "I tried to get a hold of him. I called I don't know how many phone numbers, and got no answer from any of them." Julie turned to Dan and asked, "Have you heard anything from him?" Dan shook his head.

"No. Not since we beat Wiseman. And that was years ago. He's probably off in some remote location and doing his ninja stuff." It sounded like something he'd do, but I had kind of been looking forward to seeing him here as well.

The music stopped playing and Murucho's father took a microphone and tapped it, sending the sound amplified throughout the room.

He cleared his throat and said into it, "Thank you all for being here tonight. Now we can get on to showing you our latest creation. Murucho, would you mind coming up here and helping us get it started?"

Murucho fixed his shirt and glasses. "Be right back," he told us as he worked his way through the crowd of people and up to his father.

_Shun_

The hands dragged me through the air duct. I kicked my feet against the thin metal walls, trying to make as much noise as I could. But even I knew that it wouldn't do anything. I was then pulled from the air duct and thrown into the center of a room. The observatory to be more exact.

I looked up and found myself surrounded by the Akuma I came to kill. They wore their human disguises, but their black eyes gave their true nature away. "Looks like we have us a rat," one of them said. The others chuckled with dark laughter that sent unearthly chills up my spine.

I began counting them. Kuda could only count eight back at the lake, and now that I was in here, I counted at least double that. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I thought for a moment that these Akuma could hear it. One behind me asked, "What should we do with our little party crasher?"

They all turned to face an Akuma that I hadn't noticed before. No, he was an Oni, a demon of much higher ranking than the rest of those in the room. He was sitting at a table, something dark red and thick in a glass that he was drinking. _Must be their boss,_ I thought.

He drank from the glass, a red line trickling down from the corner of his mouth. He said emotionlessly, "Kill him of course. That's what he came here to do to us, so it's only fair." The Akuma that stood around me began to shed their disguises and reveal themselves.

Now, I was surrounded by their lanky, leathery black bodies and contorted teeth and limbs. One of them had drool hanging from its mouth. I didn't know if that was natural for him, or if he was drooling with the want to tear me apart. He walked towards me on all fours and got right in my face. Its breath reeked and almost made me hurl. I looked at my own reflection in its black eyes.

The Akuma then reared back on its back feet and raised its scythe-like hand to cut into me. I quickly got to my feet and formed my sword, then brought it down on the Akuma's arm. It sliced it off, leaving a smooth and clean cut behind. Black blood began to seep from the detached appendage.

The demon stared at it, then smiled. Long, black things that looked like ropes, flung out from where I cut the arm off, and formed a new one in its place. _He's strong._ I slowly backed away from the regenerating Akuma, only to bump into another behind me.

I then remembered that I was surrounded by them, with no chance of running away. The one I bumped into, grabbed me and held me in place. I struggled against his grip, but it only seemed to tighten. He said, "Have at him, brother."

The Akuma whose arm I cut off, smiled and raised his new, regenerated hand. I felt the sharp, long claws slice and rip into the flesh of my side. I screamed out in pure agony, tears already spilling from my eyes due to the pain. The Akuma smiled and lifted his hand above his head.

My blood dripped from the long fingertips and fell into his mouth and onto his tongue. I was no longer holding myself up. I would have been on the floor if the other Akuma wasn't holding my body up. My attacker was about to slice into me again, but the Oni's voice stopped him. "That's enough. We'll worry about him another time, but now we must leave."

The Akuma that was holding me, let go and I dropped to the carpeted floor of the observatory. I watched through half-open eyes as they vanished into the shadows. My body no longer screamed with pain, but with numbness instead. I coughed and felt blood trying to come up into my mouth.

Unsure, I tried to look at where the Akuma slashed into my side. My shirt was torn with the claw marks and soaked with my blood. I was able to make out the deep gashes in my side that cut from the center of my abdomen, and all the way around my back, and stopping at my spine.

It was bad, but not fatal as far as I knew. I had to get out of here before somebody saw my bloody, torn body laying in the middle of the observatory. I tried to sit up, only to have it like somebody turning out the lights.

_Alice_

A loud applause sounded when Murucho and his father finished demonstrating their latest creation. The two bowed before the crowd. His father leaned over to his son and whispered something, and Murucho nodded and worked his way back to us. "You did a great job, Murucho. I'm impressed," I told him.

He blushed slightly and said, "Thanks, guys." The mass of people began to thin out as they left the party to go home. Runo watched them leave and said, "I think we should be getting back to our hotel. Or else we'll get locked up in this place."

We filed out behind the rest of the people and stepped into the parking lot. It was chilly out in the late night air, and I regretted not wearing a jacket. But I wouldn't be in the cold for much longer when I saw Kato driving up. He rolled down the window and said, "Ready to go back to the hotel, Master Murucho?"

The blonde nodded and Kato stepped out of his driver's seat, and walked around the limo to open the door for us. On the drive back to our hotel, Dan was looking out of the window and said, "It's been forever since I've been back here in Wardington. Things have changed so much."

The limo stopped at a red light. I looked out of the window I was sitting next to and saw a man sitting at a bus stop. He was reading a newspaper, and looked over the top of it. His eyes were solid black, and I felt as if he was looking right at me. _But he can't be. The windows are tinted out._ The light turned green, and the limo started to move. He was still looking at me until we turned a corner.

"That was weird," I whispered to myself. Julie asked, "What was weird, Alice?" I shook my head and told her, "Just that guy back there." Julie left it at that. We arrived at the hotel not too long after that. The desk clerk gave us our room keys, and we went to our respected rooms. I went straight to bed and laid down on the soft, plush mattress.

I was just about to fall asleep, when I opened my eyes one more time and saw a shadow on the wall. It looked like a monster and I quickly sat up, ready to scream at whatever had snuck into my room. Runo was standing at the foot of my bed, eyes wide.

I yelled at her, "Runo! You scared me to death! How did you get in here?" She pointed to the door and said, "It wasn't closed all the way. I'm sorry if I scared you. I was just wondering if you had some extra washcloths in your bathroom. Mine doesn't have any."

I tried to calm down my racing heart and told her, "Help yourself." She thanked me and ran into my bathroom, took what she needed, and left. I laid back down on my back and took in a deep breath. _What's going on with this city?_

_Shun_

"Master?" I opened my eyes for a moment, then shut them back. "Hello?" I did the same thing again. "Master?" This time I kept my eyes open and saw Kuda floating in front of me. "Huh?" I said in a weak voice.

I looked around and found myself back in my apartment. I said to him, "I didn't kill any of them." Kuda nodded and said, "I know. I never felt a change in their numbers." I closed my eyes and asked, "Then why I do I feel like I have?" I turned my head slightly, and a damp washcloth fell off of my forehead and onto the pillow next to me.

Kuda floated over to me and placed it back on my head. He then told me, "You know how filthy Akuma can be. It seems like the gashes on your side got infected from that demon and turned your blood septic. You've been running a fever since I brought you back here."

I weakly lifted the blankets and looked at the bandages that were wrapped around my chest. Blood was already starting to seep through them. The Kanko then asked me, "So, how many were really there? Do you remember?" I didn't hear his question. My mind had shifted to other things. Kuda folded his ears back and said, "Alright. You can tell me later if you want." He then floated off and vanished through the wall. I shivered and shut my eyes so I could fall asleep.

* * *

i do believe my new alarm clock is turning into my dogs howling at seven in the morning. -.-'' but on the lighter side, we finally got our air conditioner fixed. so no more hot, southern heat to boil me alive. ^^ read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	5. Putting Old Demons To Rest

_Shun_

I was still asleep as my mind drifted through oblivion. Constant dreams attacked my unconscious mind; most of the involved that same Akuma ripping me in two. But one stood out the most. I was in an alley that I was sure I had killed Akuma in before. It was pitch black all around, and the only light came from a lone streetlamp.

I was standing under it and looked up to watch moths and other insects fly around the light. The wailing of wind filled my ears and sent a chill up my spine. But there was no wind blowing. I listened closer and depicted words that were being whispered. They were in another language, but I felt my eyes widen when I figured out what it was.

It was the curse that Oni had placed on me all those years ago. My curse was being whispered all around me. In a panic, I started looking around on the rooftops and everywhere else. "Show yourself!" I shouted. The voices only got louder and louder.

I couldn't handle the noise anymore, and dropped to my knees, covering my ears to try and mute the voice. I was shaking and pressing my hands closer to my ears. The whispers only got louder. They wanted me to hear them. They wanted to be known. I looked up and saw a shadowed figure walking towards me from the darkest end of the alley. _There you are._

My teeth were gritted when I formed the sword in my hand and charged at the figure. I knocked them down and onto their back, pointing the tip of my blade at their throat. The whispered curse was screaming all around this person. I hissed, "This ought to shut you up."

The light of the streetlamp suddenly turned, illuminating this portion of the alley that had been shielded by darkness. Now I saw who the figure was. I stumbled back, falling to the ground and staring with disbelief. It was Alice. She looked up at me, same big, brown eyes that I remembered.

The screaming voices no longer bothered me. What did, was the fact that I had attacked her. The shadows behind her stretched out like arms and wrapped around her. She didn't scream or fight. She only continued to stare at me.

The darkness proceeded to drag her away until I could no longer see her. Two glowing, red eyes then appeared in the shadows. They were followed by a laugh that made me want to scream. It was the same laugh of the Oni who killed my family. I never forgot it.

His face then shot out of the darkness and at me. I braced myself for the attack. Right when it was about to reach me, I woke up. My body lurched forward into a sitting position, causing my blankets to be flung to the floor. I took in frantic breaths. Kuda was on the love seat, staring at me with shock in his eyes.

When I began to realize I was back in reality, I could feel my heart rate slowing down and brought my hand up to run through my hair. It was soaked with sweat. Kuda floated over to me and said, "That must have been some dream."

He was holding a glass of water in his small paws. I took it and drank all of its contents. Kuda touched his paw to my forehead and told me, "Looks like it was good you did have that dream, cause it broke your fever." I didn't care for what he was saying. I was still freaked out by the horror that my mind had created for me. "How long have I been asleep?" I asked him.

He took the empty glass and floated over to the sink, where he placed it. He told me, "About three days." I stared at him. "You've got to be kidding me." Kuda shook his head. "Wish I was. I've tried everything to get you to wake up. Nothing seemed to work. I didn't think the infection was that bad, but it looks like it may have been," he said.

The Akuma who cut into my side with its hand, had turned my blood toxic with the bacteria that it carried. _Filthy demons._ Now that I took that into account, being in a coma-like state for three days wasn't that surprising. My body was already weak, and it wouldn't take much to put me down for a while.

I felt the rest of my nerves winding down. I turned my body and placed my feet on the floor, then stood up. My legs almost buckled under me, and I had to use the wall to keep myself standing. Kuda asked, "What are you doing? You're not in any shape to get up yet." I glanced back and him and said flatly, "I have somewhere I need to go."

_Shun_

I slammed the door shut on the taxi. I hated using public transportation, but I had no car. And I would have walked, but I was weak. I stared at the huge wooden gate and walls that surrounded the property inside. I told Kuda, "Go over the wall and let him know we're here."

The Kanko nodded and did as I said. I hated that I wasn't in my top form, or else I would have jumped over the wall. The gates creaked open. Dust and dirt fell from the hinges on the massive wooden structure from where it hadn't been opened in years.

Standing in front of the old house, was my grandfather with Kuda next to him. I stepped through the gate and stood in front of the old man. He said with a sad smile, "It's good to see you again. I was starting to worry." I knew the reason for his worry.

He thought I was already dead. He cleared his throat and asked, "So, what brings you back here, Shun?" Kuda moved from the old man's side and back to mine. I told him, "Just thought I'd come here to visit. Let you know everything was okay and to unwind some." My grandfather nodded and held his hand to the old dojo. "Well, come on in. I removed all the traps, so you won't have to worry about triggering them anymore."

I smiled and walked up the steps of the dojo. I was sitting in the old living room when my grandfather brought in a tray of tea. "Here. This may help you feel better." I thanked him and took the cup. I could smell the different kinds of herbs and teas inside the cup.

It was strong, but it did feel good when I took a sip. It was almost like I felt a small portion of my mind loosen up. I stood up and asked, "Do you mind if I take this outside?" My grandfather smiled and said, "You're more than welcome to." I took my cup of tea and stepped out into the garden.

_Kuda_

The old man and I watched as Shun left the room. "I didn't want to say this while he was in here, but Shun's looking horrible," the old man said sadly. I didn't disagree with him. After his last run in with that Akuma and getting infected from it, he was looking much worse.

I was sure that once he fully recovered from having his blood turned toxic, he would look somewhat better. But he would still show the wear and tear of his curse. I lowered my head and lapped up the tea that his grandfather had offered me.

He was such a generous old man at times. "I fear that it won't be much longer if he keeps hunting those blasted Akuma," the man said. I looked up from my tea and told him, "I know, sir. But you and I both know that he isn't going to stop until the end…He's had plenty of chances to stop killing them, but he refuses."

The old man sighed and said under his breath, "Such a stubborn individual." I rolled my eyes. _You aren't lying there, old man._ He lifted his tea cup back and sipped from it. When he lowered it back down, he stared at the dark liquid. "Kuda," he said without looking up from the tea.

I turned to the old man and said, "Yes, sir?" The man closed his eyes and said flatly, "I hate to know that my grandson is going to die before me. I just wanted to ask you of a favor…..When he dies, I don't want to know." I stared at him and asked, "But why, sir?"

His eyes opened back up, and they looked like they were staring miles and miles away. "I'd rather live the rest of my life wondering, than knowing." I nodded. "Alright. I'll do that."

_Shun_

I was sitting on the roof of the dojo, sipping little by little of the tea. The fresh air was something that I had missed; one was lucky if they found fresh air in the city. It was also relaxing, and that was just what I needed after the events of the last few days.

I slid off the roof and walked over to the small fish pond. I watched as the fish swam around in the water. Then, I focused on the water's surface, rather than the depths. There, above the swimming fish, was my reflection. It seemed like every time I looked at myself, I was worse.

It made me sick to know how I used to be, and to see myself as it was now. _No wonder that Oni didn't bother killing me. I wasn't worth it._ I tapped the empty tea cup with my thumb and sighed. I turned around and slid open the door of the dojo.

Inside, I found Kuda and my grandfather still sitting in the same place. The two got along better than they did years ago. I sat back down with them. My grandfather asked, "More tea?" I shook my head and turned down his offer. He shrugged and poured some more into his cup.

Grandfather then cut a look at Kuda that even I could tell meant, _"Could you leave for a moment?"_ The pipe fox nodded and drifted off into another room. This was going to be a conversation that would only be between my grandfather and I.

He said, "I know I've always been difficult to deal with, but now I just hope that all of that is behind us." I remembered all the days and nights of training, all the broken bones, and all the fights that broke out between us. I told him, "It's been behind us for a while."

He nodded and said, "Good. I know that when you were younger, you didn't understand why I was training you, but I'm sure you know why now." I nodded and watched as he poured more tea into his cup. "You knew I'd go after and hunt Akuma after what they did to our family. You wanted me to be able to defend myself."

He nodded then took a sip of the steaming tea. His eyes looked sad, and lacking the same fire that I remembered from my youth. He said, "There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I wish I was there when they killed them. I constantly wish that I had been there and tried to protect our family. Maybe then this burden wouldn't be on our shoulders."

Perhaps things would have been different. Grandfather was the only one in our family that had any fighting experience. He could have put up more of a fight against the Akuma, rather than there being a slaughter. Maybe I would have never been cursed by the Oni.

I told him, "What happened that day, happened. There's nothing that will change what it has done." My grandfather nodded and said, "You're right. But it still bothers me…Kuda, you can come back now." My loyal friend came drifting down the hallway. I stood up and told my old man, "It was good seeing you again." He got up to his feet and told me, "Likewise."

* * *

hmm. lots of changes are happening to fanfiction. o.o hopefully for the better, not worse. (i.e. Facebook) -.- we shall see how these changes unfold. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	6. This Endless Pain

_Alice_

Since Runo had snuck into my hotel room and scared the life out of me, I had made it my goal to make sure the door was locked while I was inside. The others had already left for breakfast downstairs in the hotel's diner, and I was still getting out of the clothes I slept in.

Murucho's parents had another demonstration for his software program, and because we didn't want to listen to it again, he gave us the option of doing whatever we wanted for the day. I wanted to go outside and get out of the hotel that we had been cooped up in for the past couple of days. Not that it wasn't a nice hotel. It was very luxurious and was only a place that Murucho's family could afford to stay in for such a long amount of time.

I slipped my shoes on and hurried down the stairs to catch up with the others. They were gathered at one table, all eating food from the breakfast bar the hotel offered. And of course, Dan had the most plates out of everyone. I went over to the breakfast bar and made me a small plate of their offerings, then took my seat next to Runo.

Murucho was spreading jelly on a slice of toast when he asked, "So, what are you guys going to do today while me and my parents are at the convention center giving another presentation?" Dan swallowed the mouthful of food he had and told him, "Runo and I are going to the old amusement park. We haven't been there since we were kids."

Murucho nodded and asked the same question to Julie. She promptly replied with, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going to the mall. I've heard that Wardington's shopping district has improved drastically since we were last here." Murucho and the others turned to me and awaited my answer. I hadn't given much thought to what I would do.

I said, "I don't know. I might stay at the hotel, or maybe just walk around the city. I haven't really decided yet." Julie rolled her eyes and said, "Girl, you need to learn how to live a little." I shrugged my shoulders and didn't start up a discussion with Julie, which I knew I wouldn't win.

Murucho's parents walked up to our table and asked their son, "Are you ready to go, Murucho?" Our blonde friend nodded and wiped his mouth with his napkin before leaving our table. Runo pulled out her phone and looked at the time.

She then elbowed Dan and said, "If we're going, then we need to get there before the lines get too crazy." He held up a finger to tell her to wait a second as he chewed his latest mouthful of food. Runo rolled her eyes and grabbed the back of his shirt collar and said, "Oh, come on!"

I laughed as the bluenette dragged Dan out of the diner. Julie was pushing her chair under the table when she said, "My offer still stands if you want to go with me and do some shopping." I shook my head and told her, "I'm good. Thanks though." Julie then scampered out of the diner, leaving me at the table all by myself.

I finished the last bit of my food and pushed my own chair under the table. I took my jacket off the back of my chair, and slipped into it. Last thing I wanted was to get caught out in one of Wardington's cold spells. Waiters were already cleaning up the mess of plates from our table before I had even reached the entrance to the diner.

Now, I stood in the lobby of the hotel and made sure I had everything with me that I could possibly need. When I passed my own inspection, I headed out of the front door and into the street. I stared up at all of the new buildings that had sprung up over the years.

_It might be a good idea to buy a map of the city before I go anywhere._ I found a tourist center nearby, and purchased one. Making sure that I marked the hotel we were staying at, I decided to head over to the lake where Dan battled Runo all those years ago.

_Shun_

After the much needed visit to my grandfather's, Kuda and I walked down the street from his dojo. The pipe fox sighed next to me and asked, "Why couldn't we take a taxi back?" I rolled my eyes and said, "I told you already, the taxi company doesn't run a regular route out here."

Kuda growled in aggravation. I was about to do the same myself. The poor Kanko just didn't understand the public transportation system, and it was a hassle to try and explain it to him. He said next to me, "We need to get a car."

I stared at him and said, "Why? You can fly. I'm the one who has to walk." Kuda rolled his eyes and said, "I'm pretty sure flying requires more energy." I sighed in aggravation and told him, "Okay, drop the subject." We kept on our way and eventually made it back within the city limits.

"Now, was that walk so terrible?" I asked the pipe fox. He mumbled next to me, "Would have been better if we had that taxi again." I rolled my eyes. It was impossible to win an argument with him. "Well, there's no point in flagging one down now. We're halfway to the apartment as it is," I said.

Kuda sighed and followed alongside me. We weren't more that a block or so from the apartments when I froze. Kuda bumped into my back and said, "Hey, what's the deal? Why'd you stop walking?" Across the street at the old lake, I saw Alice walking over the bridge.

"It's Alice," I said to myself, completely ignoring the ranting pipe fox beside me. He got right in my face and said, "Alice?" I shook myself back to Earth and said, "She's an old friend of mine." I didn't have the chance to talk with her and the others back at Wardington Tower, seeing as I wasn't supposed to be there and was hunting a large number of Akuma.

But now, I had time. I checked the street for oncoming traffic, and hurried across. "You can't seriously be thinking of going over there and talking to her," Kuda said in disbelief. I told him, "Why not? I haven't seen her in a long time. It'll be a chance to catch up."

Kuda then jumped in front of me, stopping me on the sidewalk rather than the middle of the street. His eyes were serious. "You dropped off the face of the planet for a reason, remember? So that way nobody that you knew would find out that you died or would get curious as to why you go out into the city at two in the morning."

I stepped around him and said coldly, "What's a simple hello going to harm?" He jumped back in front of me and snapped, "It can harm a lot. You told me once, and this is in your own words, that getting close to people again will only cause more problems for you. Now, snap out of it and let's go back to the apartment."

He popped me upside of my head with his wisp-like tail. I stared at his narrowed eyes and sighed. "You're right, Kuda." I felt a slight pang of disappointment that I couldn't talk with Alice, but my friend was right. Being involved and getting close to anyone, would only make my job more difficult than it already was.

As the Kanko said, they would only get curious as to why I left in the middle of the night. They might end up following me to one of my kills, and then what would I do? I didn't want anyone to get hurt on my account. I turned around and started to walk away from the lake when I heard Alice's voice say, "Shun?" Beside me, Kuda growled, "So close."

_Alice_

I had stood on the bridge for a while as I tried to determine whether or not that was Shun. _Who else would have hair like that?_ But I didn't want to just run up to the person and they not be who I thought they were. I saw them turn around, and felt a smile form on my face. It was him.

Shun was starting to walk away when I hurried off the bridge and towards him. "Shun?" He turned back around and looked at me. I smiled and said, "I thought that was you. How have you been?" I couldn't believe that of all places, he was in Wardington.

Nobody had been able to get a hold of him in years. He didn't answer my question. Instead, he glanced to his left, as if somebody were standing there next to him. "Um, Shun?" He looked at me and said, "Sorry. Guess I got distracted by something."

I nodded and said, "Ah. So, how _have _you been lately?" I looked at his features. They used to be so full of life. Now, he looked tired, like he would collapse at any moment. Almost all of the color was drained from him face, and dark circles had formed around his eyes.

My first thought was that he had been sick, and that was followed by the memory of his mother's illness. He told me, "I've had better days. What about you?" Even his voice sounded tired and weak. "I've been good. The others have been wondering where you've been all this time. Nobody has been able to get a hold of you. Dan thought you might have been off in the mountains training or something."

Shun kept looking to his left and said, "No, I haven't been in the mountains for some time. I've just been here and there." He turned and looked at me. I remembered how his amber eyes used to be. Even though they still held their color, I felt like they were duller.

"Listen, I'd love to stay and talk, but I have to get going," he said. I bit the inside of my lip and said, "Alright, but if you want to catch up with the others, we're staying at this hotel and will be in town for quite some time. It was good seeing you again, Shun."

I wrote down the address of the hotel on a piece of the map I bought, and gave it to him. Shun took it and examined the address written down. "Alright. Thanks," he said and folded the paper before putting it away in his jacket pocket. Shun then turned and started walking away.

I was tempted to stop him and demand the questions that were screaming in my mind. _What's really going on with you?_ But they only stayed in my thoughts. I looked around and realized it was getting near dark. I needed to get back to the hotel before I was unable to tell where I was in the city, even with the map.

_Shun_

I had tried to carry on Alice's conversation, but Kuda kept screaming in my ear that I had to get out of there. I wanted to grab his little neck, but I knew that I'd look insane if I did that. Instead, to shut him up, I went ahead and told Alice that I had to go. Now, I was unlocking the door to my apartment.

Kuda was behind me and saying, "You did the right thing by leaving when you did." I turned the doorknob and slammed the door shut before Kuda had a chance to go through the threshold. He then went through the door and said, "That wasn't very nice."

I turned and snapped at him, "Neither was shouting in my ear!" I was aggravated, my mind torn between what I wanted to do, and what I knew I shouldn't. I wanted to speak with Alice. _But getting close to somebody…It won't end well for anyone._

My mind was throbbing now, and I hurried over to the liquor cabinet. It had been a couple of days since my last drink, and I needed something to shut my thoughts up. I killed the liquor as if it were a shot, rather than a full drink.

Kuda floated next to me and said quietly, "I'm just doing my job by helping you. Maybe it'd be a different story if you didn't have that curse, but-" I cut him off by yelling, "You don't think I haven't looked into breaking this damn curse!" Kuda flinched back and said, "I know you have, Master, but what I was trying to say was that it wouldn't be all the different. You would still have to cut off from the rest of the world in order to hunt Akuma without being caught."

I felt my sudden rage calm down, and made another drink. Instead of killing this one in one drink, I sipped on it. Kuda was right. It wouldn't be any different from now. The only thing that would be different, would be the fact that I wasn't halfway dead like I was now. "I'm sorry for losing it," I told the pipe fox. "It's just too much to deal with at times."

Kuda folded his ears back and said, "I know. You've got to remember, I've been there to watch this curse wear you down much more that physically, but emotionally as well." I sat down on the edge of my bed, drink resting between my hands. I told the Kanko, "Find me an Akuma. I want to blow off some steam."

* * *

a devious plot is always forming in my mind. -does evil face- mwuhahahahaha. XD read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	7. Time Of Dying

_Alice_

"Are you serious?" asked Dan. I had just told them about my encounter with Shun back at the lake. "Of course I'm serious, Dan. What would I gain from making this up?" The four of us were sitting around in the hotel's lobby and waiting for Murucho to come back from today's presentation.

Dan asked, "Did you get anything out of him? Like, where he's been at for the past five years?" I shook my head. "No. All he told me was that he had been here and there. He never gave me an address or told me anything." It was strange.

For a few seconds after I ran into him, I thought Shun wanted to talk. But the longer we stood there, the more anxious he looked to get away. Dan leaned back on the hotel lobby's couch and said, "If he wants to be like that, then let him. At least we know he's in Wardington and can quit wondering."

I sat down on a chair and said, "All I do know for certain is that he didn't look well." Dan's faced turned from not caring, to worry for his friend. "Who are you guys talking about?" We turned around and saw Murucho standing behind us. Julie told him, "Alice found Shun today."

Murucho turned to me and said, "Really?" I nodded and caught him up on what we had been talking about. I knew Murucho wouldn't like feeling left out or behind, especially when one of his friends was involved. Dan was leaning forward and said, "You were saying something about Shun not looking well, Alice?"

Murucho set down the bag he brought with him to his parent's latest presentation. Their eyes and ears waited to hear me speak. I told them, "He looked sick. I don't know if he is or not." Murucho sat down next to Dan. He said, "I wonder if…You know…He may have the same thing his mother did."

The thought certainly ran across my mind when I spoke with him. I was worried about if he did have that illness. The shape he was in, wasn't the best from what I could tell. And that could mean that he wasn't seeking any medical help.

The possibilities rolled out of my mind and showed no signs of stopping. The others had continued on with the conversation while I had been lost in my thoughts. The lobby grew still and quiet when a flash of lightning lit up the windows. The chandeliers and other lighting flickered as the thunder roared outside.

Not long after that, the lights in the hotel went out, leaving us in the black. Julie made the statement, "I thought there wasn't supposed to be any rain tonight." The desk clerk turned on a flashlight and stood on top of a coffee table in the lobby.

Murucho told Julie, "I guess they got the weather report wrong." The desk clerk quieted the lobby down and reassured everyone that a generator would be turned on, and the lights restored. In the dead-silent lobby, I could hear the rain pounding on the ground outside.

People from the street started to run inside the hotel to seek shelter from the rain. It was already night when the storm started, and now the world looked even darker. I felt something brush past me, touching the side of my arm. It sent a chill up my spine.

_Quit overreacting, _I told myself. The hotel then hummed, and the lights flickered on. People clapped with the return of the light, but I was busy trying to find what walked past me and sent that chill down my back.

My heart jumped when a man at the elevator turned around. His eyes had to be blacker than the storm outside. His mouth turned upward into a grin, and he stepped into the elevator.

_Shun_

I pulled the hood of my jacket over my head. The rain popped up out of nowhere. The only warning it gave me, was a bright flash of lightning, and that was it. After that, it was a constant, heavy downpour. That didn't deter me though. Kuda had located an Akuma for me, but he found a weak one.

He said it wouldn't take as much out of me. But I didn't want a weak demon this time. I wanted a challenge. So, I took the matter into my own hands. I needed to get a better view of the city. My eyes looked through the darkness and found a metal ladder that went up the side of a building.

I grabbed onto the wet, rusted rungs and climbed up. The roof of the structure had about an inch or more of water collecting on it. But I knew there were drain pipes getting rid of as much water as it could. So, I had no worries about it caving in under my added weight.

I walked to the edge of the building and looked out over Wardington. The power was out, making it all the more dark than the night could have allowed. This was perfect hunting conditions for Akuma. It was pitch black, people were in a hurry to seek shelter, and the Akuma had a major advantage.

My body tensed when I heard a footstep behind me. I turned around to meet a backhanded slap. It hit me in the chest, and all I could compare the blow to, was being hit by a car. I was knocked off the roof, and landed on the ground two stories below.

The impact knocked the wind out of me, and I struggled to regain my breath. Whatever hit me, jumped down from the roof and landed in front of me. My eyesight in the dark wasn't the best, but I could easily tell this guy was an Akuma. I forced myself up to my feet, forming a sword in my hands. The Akuma was still in its human disguise.

It growled and said, "Why are you in my hunting grounds?" We circled one another. I told him, "The same reason you are. To kill. Except my prey isn't the same as what you're after." I heard its bones crunch and crack as it shifted forms. The lightning flashed again, revealing the beast in front of me.

It had to be twice my height, an a forked tongue slithered out of its jagged mouth. That split second look was all I needed to know what this one looked like. It chuckled. "Oh, so you're the little twerp who has been killing my brothers. That will make it all the more enjoyable when I rip your limbs from your body."

Another flash of lightning showed me what my opponent was doing. It lashed out its long, forked tongue at me. I moved to the side to get out of dodge, but felt it graze the side of my cheek. Its tongue cut into my skin like a razor.

I felt my cheek start to burn from the cut, and brought my hand up and touched the wound. I felt my blood on my fingertips. I raised my sword and told him, "Alright, first blood goes to you. But that will be all you get." The Akuma laughed and said, "Your blood tastes like a pitiful disgrace to your own kind. I don't even know why I'm bothering wasting my time on you."

I could hear its tongue flicking in the air as we circled each other again. I told him, "You're obviously wasting your time on me because you find me as a threat." It threw its head back and laughed madly. It hissed at me, "You couldn't be more wrong."

I heard it run at me, and felt the weight of its body thrown on me. For such thin creatures, they weighed a ton. The Akuma had my shoulders pinned down, disabling me the use of my sword. The storm picked up, and more lightning cut through the sky.

The Akuma's face was right in mine, its forked tongue snaking around my face. "I usually don't eat my fellow kind, but I think you're an exception," it mused. I started to look around for options. My legs were free, but kicking this creature was pointless.

I had tried before, and it was the equivalent of kicking a brick wall. I then realized, I had no options. The Akuma's long, pointy fingers tapped the asphalt beside my head. "Where to begin?" I growled. Then it smiled and said, "How about the face? I don't like it when my meal stares at me."

It opened its mouth up and reared its head back. I smiled as a plan formed in my mind. The Akuma lunged at my face, and at the last second, I turned my head to side, causing it to receive a mouthful of solid asphalt. The creature screamed out in pain, and I could see drops of blood pouring from its teeth and mouth.

Using its moment of agony, I jumped up to my feet and sliced into its neck with the blade of my sword. Its head hit the ground somewhere and rolled off, while the body erupted with its black, sludge-like blood. It fell over and onto the ground, then vanished into thin air.

I stumbled back and leaned against the wall of a building. I started to chuckle and said to nobody, "Try and make a snack out of me again." My body was then drained from more of its life, causing me to slide down the wall and sit at its base out of weakness.

I tilted my head back and looked up, feeling rain drops falling into the burning wound on my cheek. I laughed weakly, and forced myself to stand.

_Shun_

Back at the apartment, Kuda was having a fit. "Why didn't you kill the Akuma I sent you after?" he snapped. The apartment had no electricity from the storm, and candles were lit throughout the room to provide light. I leaned against the door and told him weakly, "I wanted more of a challenge."

The room was spinning around me, my mind in a heavy fog. Kuda growled and said, "I found that Akuma cause he was weak and it wouldn't take as much out of you! But no, had to do go out and find your own. What's the point of having me around if you do that?"

I slid down the door and sat on the floor. I told him, "To deal with me." Kuda sighed and examined me. "Look at you. You're a pathetic mess." I looked down at myself. My jacket was soaked with not only rain, but that Akuma's blood. No longer could you see the green fabric; it was now black.

I saw little drops of red blood on the floor, and remembered my cheek. It was still bleeding. Kuda rolled his eyes and said, "You're on your own tonight." He then vanished through the wall. "Fine by me," I said to myself and stood up.

I was too tired to even bother to make a drink, and just went on ahead and collapsed on my bed. I rolled on my side and saw a candle on the nightstand. I watched the flame flickering back and forth inside the clear, glass votive. The little fire would suddenly get stronger, then it would weaken down again. _Like me._

I continued to watch the flame dance around on the wick. Drops of water landed all around the jar with the burning candle. I glanced up and saw a leak in the ceiling right above the nightstand. Another drop landed in the melted wax in the candle's jar.

The fire flinched away from the splash it made. My eyes started to grow heavy, but I kept staring at the fire. An expertly aimed water droplet fell from the leak, landing right on top of the fire and extinguishing it. _Lights out._

* * *

_chapter title based off the sing Time Of Dying by Three Days Grace._ oh gawd, i'm still geeking out over the new changes. ^^ eek! read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	8. Speculation

_Shun_

I groaned when I sat up in my bed. My body ached, and felt like a ton of bricks was on top of me. I rubbed around my sleepy eyes and looked around the apartment. I didn't see Kuda in his usual places, and sighed. He had left last night after getting into an argument with me. _I don't blame him._

I may not have meant whatever I said to him, but I couldn't help what I said at times. He knew that better than anyone else. _But even he can only handle so much, _I thought. I glanced down at my pillow. It was covered with my blood from my bleeding cheek last night. Sometime during that timeframe, it had stopped and began to heal. I then looked at myself.

I had fallen asleep in the clothes I had worn yesterday when I killed the Akuma. Now, they felt disgusting. I first took off the Akuma blood-soaked jacket, and threw it on the floor. After changing into a clean set of clothes, I entertained the idea of making a drink.

I shook my head. _I will later._ The candles that had been lit because of the power outage from the storm, were now all burned out. Recalling the bad weather, I walked over to the window and looked out. The ground was still wet from the rain, but the sun was shining bright in the sky.

Street signs and lights were knocked over and laying around on the ground, and some of the buildings had their roofs pulled up from the strong winds of the storm. Everything would be repaired in the blink of an eye though.

I left the window and went into the bathroom, turning on the sink and splashing water on my face. The icy water was enough to wake me up instantly, and I turned the faucet off and dried my face off with a towel. I held myself up against the sink and looked in the mirror, examining the cut on my face.

It was a long, slender cut that went from my temple, to right at my chin. Images danced in my mind of the Akuma's tongue lashing out and leaving me this gift. It would heal, but I was certain a faint scar would stay in its place.

Between the gashes on my side that had healed, the cut on my face, I would have an impressive set of scars by the time I died. _And how much longer could that be?_ How many more kills did I have in me before I ran out? I shook my head away from dwelling on those thoughts, and tossed the towel I used to dry my face into the clothes hamper.

_Alice_

I was wide awake all night. Not from the raging storm outside, but rather the haunting images of the two people that I had seen with those black eyes. I kept trying to tell myself they were just contacts, but I felt like I was lying to myself.

Something about their eyes were wrong. Nowhere in them did I see something that could even possibly be human. I was awake when the storm ended, and when the sun finally showed itself again. As far as I knew, I didn't sleep a wink. I slipped into a new shirt and pair of pants, then left my hotel room to join the others for breakfast.

Murucho was the only one who wasn't at the table. Being so tired, I wasn't hungry, and just went and sat next to Runo. "Where's Murucho?" I asked during a yawn. Dan was staring at me. "Uh, Alice? Are you feeling alright?" I finished my yawn and nodded. "I didn't get much sleep," I told them. I didn't bother to tell them why, and let them have their own speculations as to why I was unable to rest.

Dan looked at me for another minute, then said, "Anyway, Murucho and his parents left out of here earlier. They said something about wanting to make it to their meeting on time and didn't want to risk getting caught in traffic cause of all the down lights and signs."

I nodded and didn't know how Murucho could handle so much work at such a young age. Even I wouldn't be able to constantly do all the things he did. I hadn't even noticed that Julie had left the table until she came back and handed me a cup of coffee.

"There's a pick-me-up for you, Alice. Cause right now, you look like the living dead," she told me and sat back down. The coffee was straight-up, and blacker than black. I cringed at how strong and bitter it must be. I told Julie, "Thank you, but I'm not very big on coffee."

She shrugged her shoulders and left the table. Runo shouted to her, "Julie! Where are you going?" Julie stopped and turned around. "I'm meeting up with Billy today, and if I hang around any longer, I'll be late." She then turned back around and skipped out of the hotel's diner.

Runo wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, "I never really liked Billy." Runo and I sat around at the table and waited for Dan to finish his breakfast. I felt sorry for the cooks in the kitchen that had to run back and forth to keep food out for the rest of the guests.

It brought back memories of when I worked for Runo at the café, and how we worked ourselves to death between getting Dan something to eat, and the rest of the customers. I was relieved when Runo told him not to come there to eat during work hours.

It took a load off of both of us. Dan ate his last bite, and leaned back in his chair looking satisfied. Runo rolled her eyes and said to me, "Dan and I were thinking about going to the pool. It's indoor and heated, so we don't have to worry about freezing. You wanna come with us, Alice?"

A relaxing swim sounded nice, but I had other plans. "Maybe tomorrow, but I was going to walk around Wardington and see if I could find Shun again and get more info out of him." Dan and Runo looked at each other. "Suit yourself," Dan said with a shrug of his shoulders.

The two got up from the table. I heard Runo say to him, "You might want to wait a little bit before getting into the pool since you just ate." Dan laughed and told her, "That's just a myth." The two walked out of the diner and disappeared into another part of the hotel. I grabbed the cup of coffee that Julie brought to me, and tossed it in a trash can on my way out.

_Alice_

"What was I thinking?" I asked myself while sitting on a sidewalk bench. I had walked around the city for going on three hours in search of Shun, and had finally started to give up. _It was a fluke that I found him the first time._

I sighed and decided the best thing I could do, was go back to the hotel. Perhaps try and sleep, or join Runo and Dan in the pool if they were still there. I stood up from the bench and walked along the sidewalk. I brushed by two guys who were arguing with each other.

They then stopped yelling at each other, then ran in front of me. One of them looked up and down at me and said, "Hey, you're pretty." I took a step away from them and said, "Um, thanks?" His buddy punched him in the arm and said, "Hey! I saw her first! I should be able to talk to her first!"

I slowly turned on my heel, and started to walk away from the two strangers. But they realized I was leaving, and ran back in front of me again. The spiky, green-haired one asked, "And where do you think you're going? We weren't done with you."

The two kept walking closer and closer to me, and I kept stepping away from them. I looked around and wondered why nobody was stopping to help me. The red-haired one grabbed my arm and said, "Hey, Wrath. How about we both take turns talking to this pretty little thing?"

His friend smiled and said, "Sounds good to me, Dante." I yanked my arm out of Wrath's hand, and started to run. But two sets of hands grabbed me and Dante told me, "You're not going anywhere until we say so." I whipped around and was about to slap them in the face, when I saw their eyes.

They were the same endless black as the guy on the sidewalk and at the elevator. I froze, feeling chills up and down my spine. Dante tilted his head to the side and asked, "What's wrong, sweet thing?" Inside my mind, I was screaming for help.

But in reality, I was paralyzed by them and remained silent. My hands were shaking at my sides, my mouth dry as dirt. I stared at my reflection in their endless eyes, and felt my heart try and lurch from my chest. They weren't normal. Not human.

They couldn't be human. Wrath and Dante were smiling, but it faded and they turned around. I tried to see what they were looking at, but could find nothing. Wrath growled and said, "You're the one who made a fool out of us! Let's get him!"

The two then dropped me, and ran after nothing that I could see. I sat there on the ground, people walking by me and not bothering to help me. _Th-that was weird,_ I thought and ran back to the hotel.

_Kuda_

I was still drifting around the city, not feeling like returning to the apartment just yet. My patience had run thin with Shun last night, and I needed to get away before things only blew more out of proportion. I didn't blame him though. He wasn't well, and couldn't help it sometimes.

But even I had my limits as to how much I could handle. I drifted up to a tree that had been planted in the concrete sidewalk, and laid down on a branch. Below, I watched people walk by. A girl with bright orange hair was running, but was soon caught by Wrath and Dante.

_When will those two learn how to pick up girls?_ I then looked closer at their latest love, and realized she was the girl Shun talked to at the lake. _Alice, wasn't it?_ She turned around to, what I guessed was slap them, then froze.

She didn't make another move and just stood there and looked at him. _She sees their eyes._ I knew Wrath and Dante were stupid, but they had just reached a new level. I floated down there to put an end to their fun. They turned around and looked at me.

I told them, "Let the girl go." I then turned myself into the same monster I had used to scare them out of their apartment. Wrath shouted, "You're the one who made a fool out of us! Let's get him!" I turned back into myself and slipped through a wall before they could see me.

I watched as the two kept running down the street. _You two didn't need me to make a fool out of you,_ I said to myself and smiled. I then came out of my hiding place and looked at the girl they had tried to hit on. She looked freaked out, then jumped up to her feet and ran.

There it was again. When she ran past me, I felt the same thing I had when Shun spoke with her at the lake. I didn't mention it to him due to how worked up he was, and I also wasn't sure if I did feel something. But there it was, and two times was enough proof for me. I floated above the walking people and chased after her.

* * *

important announcement that concerns all who love . i don't know if this is true, but i'm not taking any chances, and you all shouldnt either. but i have gotten word that is going to purge their stories due to ridiculous reasons. any of you that have stories, i suggest going and download/backing them up by going to the manage stories and edit (most of you have probably seen this). save the page and keep your story safe. i also posted a link to a website that somebody has created a petition to stop this. please go and check it out, sign it, and spread the word. we want to keep 'unleashing our imagination' like claims to let us. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	9. The Cross

_Alice_

I ran through the lobby doors and clicked the elevator button. My hands were still shaking from earlier. _What were they?_ I tapped my foot as I waited for the elevator to arrive. My nerves kept jumping around, causing me to flinch every time somebody walked past me.

_Could they be one too?_ I asked myself each time I looked at somebody. Were their eyes endlessly black as well? Around the corner, Dan and Runo appeared. They were dripping water and wrapped up in towels. I then reminded myself they had been swimming when I left. Dan was holding onto his side and groaning.

Runo shook her head and said, "I told you not to get in that pool so soon after eating. If you would have listened to me, you wouldn't have almost drowned." The two saw me standing in front of the elevator. "Alice? What's wrong?" asked Runo.

Dan chimed in and added, "Yeah, you look seriously freaked out." I was. After being ganged up by those two and seeing the black eyes once again, I wasn't sure what to think. The elevator beeped to let me know it was on the main floor. I jumped, unprepared for the sound.

The metal doors slid open, and an elderly man stepped out. I took his place and quickly told Dan and Runo, "Nothing's wrong. I have to go up to my room and get something." The doors closed, giving me the worried looks of my friends as my last thing to see.

I leaned in the corner of the elevator and stared up at the florescent lights. Was I going crazy? Was I really seeing people with those inhuman eyes? The elevator stopped on my floor, and I hurried out. At my room, I fumbled with the key card until I finally got the door open.

From there, I locked the door behind me and rushed over to my suitcase. I unzipped a small pocket, and pulled out a white box. It originally held a necklace-earring set my grandfather got me for Christmas a few years back, but I was now using it for other needs.

I opened the box and looked at the silver cross that was resting on a bed of cotton. A tiny, ornate flower garnished the center of the piece. My grandfather's parting words he gave me before I arrived at Wardington with Murucho and the others, rang through my mind.

_"Wardington is a dangerous place. There may be times you don't feel safe, or are scared. If that happens, this will keep you safe."_ I remembered when he dropped the cross in the palm of my hand, and I thought I'd never take it out of my suitcase.

But even if the cross didn't do anything, I needed something to turn to in order to calm myself and feel safe. I lifted the cotton in its box, and took the metal chain out that I had stashed underneath.

Carefully, I slid the cross onto the chain, and latched it together around my neck. It may have been the placebo-effect, but I did feel somewhat safer. I closed the box and set it back in my suitcase.

_Kuda_

The girl was a fast runner. _She might even be able to outrun Shun, _I mused to myself. I was following her in order to discover what this strange essence was that I had gotten from her.

When I first saw the girl, Shun was talking to her, and I had been too busy trying to get him away, leaving me unable to examine this person. She ran into up the steps of a huge hotel, and into its lobby. Still determined to find out more, I slipped through the sliding door and into the lobby.

I found myself awestruck at the magnificent interior of the place. "This is so much nicer than the apartment," I said to myself. When I snapped myself out of gawking, I looked down and found the girl at the elevator, talking to two people.

I easily recognized them as people in the picture Shun kept hung on the wall. They were some of his friends. The elevator doors opened, and the girl ran inside. Before they shut, I went in as well. She had no clue that I was in there with her, and it might have been a good thing.

Her eyes were still as wide as they were when Wrath and Dante tried to 'flirt' with her. _Poor girl has got to be confused._ When the elevator stopped, I continued to follow her to her hotel room. Staying close to the ceiling, I observed her.

Since she was alone, I didn't have to worry about other peoples' presences getting in the way. The Alice girl was kneeling by her suitcase and pulled out a box from one of the compartments. I felt my ears prick up when she took the top off of it. Inside, was a cross.

And it wasn't just some old piece of jewelry. The hairs along my body tingled. There was a blessing placed on it, and a powerful one. Alice sat there and looked at it before finally putting it on a chain and around her neck. But the presence I felt on her before could not be masked by the blessed piece of jewelry.

Whatever I sensed, was stronger than the holy article around her neck. I shut my eyes and used the same ability I used to find Akuma, and directed it towards her. When I opened them back up, I could see it floating around her.

"A curse," I said breathlessly. But I had gone past people with curses on them before, and none of them had struck me like this one. The ancient sigils of the curse created a cylinder around her body. Everything about this curse was familiar to me; the dark aura it emitted, the similar structure.

"Where have I-" My words caught and I stared at the girl. This curse was like Shun's, but at the same time it wasn't. I mentally compared the energy it gave off. In every way, shape, and form, this curse was like his. _That can only mean it was placed by the same Oni._

I then compared the structure. Although I could not read the sigils, I had seen Shun's before. The ones floating around Alice, were similar to his, but worded differently. I shook my head, unable to understand what was going on before me.

The Oni who cursed Shun, had been killed by him the night his family was killed. _That would mean that this curse was placed on her before then, _I said to myself. My brain hurt as I tried to figure this out. What reason would that Oni have for cursing this girl? I stopped using my ability to look at her, and the curse vanished.

But I knew it was still there, only visible to those who were able to will it to show itself. I wanted to get a closer look at Alice, but when I got within five feet of her, I was thrown to the other side of the room. I sat up on the floor and shook my head. "That hurt," I said with a groan.

The cross on her neck flashed in the light, and I remembered the blessing that it had been imbued with. But I was no Akuma. I was a spirit. _Looks like I've been around Shun so long that his demonic presence has rubbed off on me._

Alice stood up and left the hotel room. I stayed behind. This girl had sparked my curiosity with the curse she had. Did she even know about it? I floated over to a small couch that was in the room, and laid down.

My eyes widened, and a smile creased my face. "This couch feels amazing!" I shouted and rolled on the cushions, completely forgetting everything for that moment.

_Shun_

I stuffed my hands into my pockets and sighed. _Where could he have gone to?_ When it was past noon and closing in on evening, and Kuda had yet to return to the apartment, I started to worry. If what I said to him angered him enough that he wouldn't come back, then I wanted to find him and apologize.

He was still bound to me by that favor, so he would have no choice but to continue to serve me. But he was the only friend I had right now, and I didn't want to lose that. If Kuda no longer considered me as a friend, then things would go back to how they used to be when he first started to work for me.

He would only do what he had to, all while waiting for me to die so he wouldn't have to deal with me anymore. I had already lost too much, and I didn't want to lose the only friend that knew who, and what I was. When I left out to find my old friend, it had been daylight.

Now, it was night. Tired, I leaned against a metal fence to rest my feet. Behind me, something fell over. Thinking it could be an Akuma prowling around, I turned and got ready to fight. But when I saw a cat run away from a knocked over trashcan, I realized I was in no danger.

I then saw where I was at. I had made my way back to the old elementary school Dan and I attended, and where not a week ago, I killed an Akuma that possessed a little girl. The playground was empty since school was done for the day. The swings moved back and forth in the wind, and I closed my eyes.

_Flashback_

I was sitting in one of the swings, staring at the worn down dirt in front of me. It had been two weeks ago that the Akuma came and killed my family, but I had to carry on. The images were still raw in my mind. Over at the lunch table near the swings, I could hear the teachers talking.

One from another class said, "I don't know why on Earth he insists coming back to school after what happened to his family." I tightened my jaw. Everyone thought they had just been killed by some maniac, but it had been a band of Akuma led by an Oni.

I tried to tell people, but they just thought I was being a distraught kid who wasn't able to understand that my family was dead and was making up a way to cope with it. _But I'm not….._ Over at the slide, the other kids in my class were playing.

I had always been a loner from them, and the recent events only made it worse. I had already been called 'weird' and 'freak' and everything else by them. They didn't think I was normal, and they were right. I was far from it. A tear rolled down my cheek and landed on my leg.

"Hey? Why are you crying?" I looked up and saw the new kid looking at me. He showed up in our class at the start of the week, and seemed like a loud-mouth from the beginning. "What do you care?" I asked coldly. He would end up being no different from the others who talked about me.

They always did. He walked over to the swing next to me and sat down. "Just wondering. I don't like seeing people sad," he said and kicked his feet, making the swing move. It was strange having somebody outside of my family actually show they cared about me, and didn't see me as some kind of freak.

I said, "Your name was Dan, right?" The brunette nodded his head and smiled, stopping his swing from moving. "Yup. I don't know everyone's name yet, so what was yours?" he asked. I smiled and said, "Shun." Dan tilted his head to the side and said, "That's a cool name." The brunette then laughed, and I did the same.

_End Flashback_

I was still holding onto the side of the fence, a sad smile and tear stain on my face. The wind stopped blowing, causing the swings to go still. Remembering the first friend I had, proved to be almost be too much to handle.

Knowing that I had to stay away from them, and that I would die and never see any of them again, made me wish that my life would slip away from me quicker so I wouldn't have to deal with the reality.

But it only made me want to find Kuda more, so I would at least have one friend by my side. I pulled myself away from the old playground and all of its memories, and went back to the apartment, ready to keep looking for my loyal friend tomorrow.

* * *

_chapter title based off the song The Cross by Within Temptation. _lol. if you havent noticed yet, Kuda has a thing for couches. 0.0 check out my profile for an announcement regarding the future of our stories, and also vote on a poll if you have not. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	10. A Life With No Purpose

_Kuda_

_I never want to leave this place, _I thought as I ate the food I ordered from room service. The girl was gone with her friends for the day, leaving me free roam of the room. She still had no knowledge that I was there, so I was taking advantage of the perks. Mainly, the food.

When I ate my fill, I went back over to the insanely plush couch and laid down, my lithe body sinking into the cushions. I smiled and sighed with content. If it weren't for the fact that I still had to keep up my end of the bargain with Shun, I would have liked to stay at this place.

I could have been like one of those 'spirits' that haunted places and become famous. But I knew I had to get back soon. _Heaven forbid if Shun goes looking for his own Akuma again. That was nothing but a fiasco last time._ I had specifically given him a weak, low-level Akuma, and he went and found one that could have killed him with nothing more than the flick of the wrist.

He got lucky that time, and the odds of that happening again, were slim in my book. A face then popped up in front of mine. She asked, "What are you doing here?" I jumped up and looked at the slim, black-furred Kanko in front of me.

"Teru, you startled me. I could ask you the same question." The black pipe fox eyed the table of room service food that I had been eating. "My Master and I saw you slip into this hotel yesterday, and when you didn't come out, I decided to see what the hold up was," she said.

Teru's master was an Akuma hunter like Shun, but he was much more deadly than my master. And, he was human, which put Shun at risk if the two ever ran into one another. Even though Shun killed Akuma as well, that didn't matter.

Teru's master wanted to kill every last one of them. I cleared my throat and said, "I came here to investigate a girl. If you saw her, you'd understand." Teru picked up a piece of half-eaten toast and raised a brow. "Some investigation you have going on," she said and dropped the toast.

I laughed nervously. "He-he. Well, I got hungry. He-he." Teru was also different from me. She helped her master on her own will. She wasn't forced like me. If I were helping an Akuma on my own will, she would have jumped me. But with the fact that I owed a favor, she understood.

I didn't have much choice, in other words. Teru asked, "So, how is your Master holding up?" She also knew of Shun's curse. When I thought about it, most within the Akuma and hunter community knew about it. _Not much of a secret, is it?_ I sat on the couch and told her, "He's….Getting by. What about Star? How is he doing?"

She rested her wispy body on the armrest next to me and said, "My Master is doing fine. He was recently injured in a fight, but has almost fully recovered." I was surprised to hear that Star had been injured. "How did he get hurt?" I asked.

It had to have be a powerful Akuma, or human error on Star's part. "It was an Oni. A strong one at that. Star didn't even land a hit on him, and I had to drag him out of there before he got killed." I could just see Shun running into this Oni somehow, and getting swatted away like a bug.

Teru continued with her story, "And of course, Star was furious when he woke up. He tried to go back after the Oni, but I refused to let him until his wounds healed." I left the couch and looked out the window. Below, I saw Star standing on the sidewalk across the street. I gulped.

He looked a fearsome and deadly as ever. _And he got injured?_ I told Teru, "Talking about your Master, has got me worrying about mine now." She joined me at the window. Star looked up at her and nodded. Humans weren't supposed to be able to see Akuma, or us Kanko for that matter.

But for some reason, Star was able to. The explanation everyone used was that he was born with a gift, but I had my own theory that he had a drop of Akuma blood somewhere in his veins. Teru chuckled and said, "I thought you couldn't wait for the day you were freed from that Akuma?"

I remembered when I first started to work for Shun, and how the day he died sounded like sweet music to my ears. Now, it kind of left a hollow feeling in my stomach when I thought about it. "He grows on you after a while," I told her.

Teru smiled and looked down at Star. "A Master is something special, despite how much they may get on your nerves or fight with you, but a lot of us Kanko aren't lucky enough to have one. They don't have a purpose without a master. Now, go on and find your's."

I thought for a moment about what she said. A Kanko without a master, has no purpose. My purpose would be taken away when Shun died. Then what would I do? I turned to Teru and said, "I will. It was nice talking with you again. Keep Star in line, okay?"

She laughed and before I went through the window, she said, "Hey, Kuda! Take a bath! You smell like an Akuma!" I stopped and sniffed myself and told her, "It's the latest perfume." Teru laughed, and I left the luxurious hotel room.

_Alice_

I hadn't seen anything else weird since I put the cross on. _Maybe I was overreacting after all._ Dan, Runo, Julie, and I were waiting for Murucho in the lobby. He had another software presentation today at Wardington's museum, and we decided to go with him this time.

While he babbled on for the millionth time about the program, we could walk around the museum and look at the exhibits. I then remembered I left my purse up in my hotel room. I told the others, "Hold on. I left something in my room."

I pushed the elevator button and the doors opened. Inside, I punched my floor number and began my ascent. I got to my door and realized how lucky I had gotten that I put my room key in my jacket, rather than my purse. I opened the door and froze. In the middle of my room, were two carts with half-eaten food on it.

_I don't remember this being here when I left._ I rubbed my eyes and looked again. The food was still there. "Hello? Is anyone in here?" I thought maybe somebody had snuck into my room and ordered room service, but I didn't see anyone.

It could have been a housecleaning person who thought it would be funny to dump the food in a random room, but the employees didn't seem like the kind who would do that. I shook my head and searched for a piece of paper and pen.

I scribbled a note for the housekeeping person to take the cart out of my room when they came to clean. I stuck the note on the TV and grabbed my purse, quickly returning downstairs to the others. Murucho had joined them while I had been up in my room.

Dan said, "That took a while." I pulled my purse up on my shoulder and said, "Sorry. I got sidetracked by something on the way up there." Outside of the lobby, a large charter bus pulled up to the front door. Murucho stood up from his chair and said, "There's our ride."

We all looked at him, clearly confused. Runo asked, "Where's Kato and the limo?" A man stepped out and held a sign with 'Marakura' written on it. He was for us.

Murucho told us, "My parents took that limo as well cause they're planning on selling some of the programs before they go out to stores, and they needed extra room. So, they rented us that bus. Come on, we need to get to the museum before the presentation starts."

The charter bus was clean and had the little TVs above the seats. I sat up in the very front, and the others were a few seats back. The doors closed, and the bus did that hissing noise before it started to move.

_Shun_

It was day two of trying to find Kuda. Hopefully, I would get better results than I did yesterday. I had just left the apartment when I was greeted with the bickering. Wrath and Dante were walking down the sidewalk, arguing as usual. They saw me and shut up.

The moment they walked by, they proceeded to fight. I rolled my eyes, but smiled. I had actually missed the two. It was just too quiet at night. I stopped at the lake and sat on the bank. I was at least going to get a rough idea of where Kuda could be hiding out.

Nothing particular came to mind. The only place that he might be in, would be the sofa section of a furniture store. But there were hundreds of those in Wardington, and I wasn't about to check each one of them. I wanted to find the Kanko, but I wasn't going to go to those kind of the lengths to find him.

I stood up and brushed the grass off of my pants. All I could do was walk around the city and hope to run across him. It wouldn't be hard to find a white, floating pipe fox. He stuck out like a sore thumb in a crowd of people. Or anywhere for that matter.

I left the lake and realized I was approaching the street with the hotel that Alice and the others were staying at. I peered down an alley to see if the Kanko may have been prowling around it. While I was preoccupied with the alley, something rammed into my side.

I was knocked over and feel onto the concrete sidewalk, scraping my hands as I broke my fall. "The hell!" I shouted, ignoring the stinging in my palms. Floating in front of me, was Kuda. He smiled and said, "Looks like I don't know my own strength." I stared at him for a moment, then stood up.

"What the hell was with running off and making me worry!" I shouted then realized all the eyes staring at me. I felt my face turn red. To their eyes, I was yelling at nothing, and nobody. Kuda was next to me shaking his head, and trying not to laugh.

But he was really close to failing. "Uhh…." I had no clue how to recover from this, so I discretely grabbed the Kanko's tail and dragged him back to the lake. He was snickering at this point. I let him go and glared. "I'm sorry, but that was funny. The one reason I love being invisible to everyone," he said while shaking his head and still snickering.

I rolled my eyes and asked, "So where were you anyway? I thought an Akuma might have snatched you up and eaten you like a noodle or something." Kuda stared at said blankly, "A noodle? Really? You had to go there, didn't you?" I grinned.

Kuda rolled his eyes and said, "Ok, I'm going to ignore your little simile there and answer your first question. I was following that Alice girl you talked to a few days ago." My grin vanished. "Why were you following Alice?" The last I remembered, he would have shot me if it meant getting me away from Alice, so I was eager to know why he was following her.

"When you were talking with her at this lake, I felt something was off about her, but I was too occupied with getting you out of there, that I didn't bother to do anything. But while I was trying to cool off after our argument, I ran into her and felt the same thing again. So, I followed her back to the hotel she was staying at. Oh, you should have seen that hotel. It puts the apartment to shame. And that couch. Oh the couch."

I snapped my fingers in front of the pipe fox's face. "Kuda! Stay focused!" _At least I had been right about the couch._ Kuda's ears pricked up. "Oh, yeah. Right. So, as I was saying, I followed her up to her hotel room and used my ability that I use to find Akuma, and found out that she has a curse on her."

_Alice is cursed?_ "Who would want to curse her?" I asked more to myself than Kuda, but he didn't seem to tell the difference. "The same Oni that cursed you," he said. I stared at him and said, "That's impossible. I killed that Oni the day he killed my family. He would have had to put the curse on Alice before then."

What reason would that Oni have for cursing Alice? Demons just didn't go around and curse random people. They had reasons. Especially the Oni. "I don't know what the stipulations of the curse are, but almost everything about it is like your's. The only thing I could tell, was the it was worded differently," the Kanko told me.

_Like mine?_ Did that mean if Alice ever killed an Akuma somehow, she would lose a part of her life? _No. Kuda said it was worded differently._ I ran a hand through my hair and growled. "I know. It didn't make any sense to me either," said Kuda.

I began to walk away from the lake. Kuda ran up next to me and asked, "Where are you going?" He rested on my shoulder and asked again. I told him, "I'm going to find Alice and see what else we can find out about her curse." _Because it concerns me now._

* * *

a little bit of humor for your monday. ;) serious in parts, but humorous. mainly humorous. that such a funny word. (i didnt get much sleep) 0.0 please forgive my rambling down here. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	11. Ignorance Is Bliss

_Alice_

Murucho pointed to a conference room and said, "I'm going to be in there if any of you need me." We nodded and our friend hurried inside to do yet another presentation. Dan said under his breath, "I bet you he has that speech of his memorized."

I had already broken off from the group and began looking at the museum's exhibits. It had a little bit of everything; history, science, and art. "Alice!" I turned around and saw Dan waving at me. "We're going to meet up here at three! Ok?" he shouted inside of the quiet museum.

I nodded before I could witness Runo backhand him. I ended up stumbling upon an exhibit about the history of Nippon, or Japan pretty much. Ancient samurai swords and artwork hung on the walls. Little signs explained what people were looking at and the history behind it.

A lot of the artwork looked like folklore from way back when. And most of them were about demons. I leaned on the handrail and looked up at one piece of artwork and examined it carefully. It depicted somebody fighting a demon, or Akuma as the sign called it.

I looked at the 'Akuma' and saw that the painting had its eyes a pure black. I stepped back and shook my head. _No, those people couldn't have been demons. Demons don't exist…..Don't they?_ A flashlight beam hit me dead in the eyes.

I raised my arm to shield myself from the brightness. The light was lowered and I saw a man walking towards me. "What are you doing in here? This exhibit isn't open today due to repairs," he said. He wore the museums uniform, and had clean-cut brown hair.

The guy kind of reminded me of an older version of Dan. "I-I'm sorry. I just came across it and the door was open. I didn't know it was closed," I told him, feeling slightly embarrassed by my trespassing. The museum employee said, "It's no problem. I was actually coming down here to lock the doors, but got sidetracked on the way. Here, I'll take you to the exit."

I tried to walk next to him so I wouldn't get lost in the dark exhibit, but he wouldn't let me get within six feet of him. "Hey! Slow down!" I said and tried running to catch up. He whipped around and stopped me in my tracks by shining the flashlight on my face.

"Safety reasons," he said gruffly. _Guess it makes sense._ If the museum had an incident where an employee got attacked by somebody here, they would have to make a rule that would put some distance between worker and visitor. I stayed no more than six feet from him, and could not see him.

All I could go by, was the flashlight in his hands. I said to him, "Um, I don't think this is the way I came in at." Nothing looked familiar to me. Mainly cause I couldn't see anything. Where I came in at, it was dimly lit, but this was borderline pitch black.

"Don't worry. This is just the end of the exhibit. The lights need to be fixed here, and that's why everything is closed off. But it will take you back to the entrance of the museum," he told me. I kept looking around for a door or the light of an exit, but it only seemed to keep getting darker.

And I was getting scared. I grabbed the cross necklace I had been wearing since yesterday and took in a deep breath. _I'm over reacting. I'll be fine._ A door opened, and I saw the museum employee holding the exit open. The outside light was blinding since my eyes had adjusted to the darkness. "Thanks," I told him and turned around to face him.

"No problem." I then felt my body tense up. In the light, I was able to see his eyes. They were black and soulless, just like the pictures. The employee grinned and vanished into the dark exhibit, the door slowly closing behind him. I stared at the exit door, feeling like my legs were nailed to the ground. I held on tighter to my cross, and quickly walked back to the conference room.

_Shun_

The curse that was on Alice concerned my somehow. The odds of a similar curse being placed on somebody were slim to none. And I highly doubted that the Oni who cursed me, ran out of ideas when he got to Alice. They were much more creative than that.

I rounded the block that had Alice's hotel on it. Kuda was pulling on my shirttail. "Listen to me! You can't talk to her!" he kept saying. I looked around at all the people walking by. If I yelled at him again like I did earlier, then I would get those confused looks again. Along with the ones who thought I was crazy. "Why can't I talk to her? You did, so why can't I?" I asked quietly, but harshly.

Kuda growled and said, "You don't understand, Master. You can't get near her." I rolled my eyes. Even when there was some connection to my curse, I still had to be cut off from everyone else. "I'm going to talk to her, Kuda," I said stubbornly.

The pipe fox cried out and shouted, "If you would just listen to me for five minutes, I would explain why you can't talk to her!" I walked up the steps of the hotel and into the lobby. A woman at the check-in desk finished up with a customer, and was no longer busy.

I walked up to her and asked, "Is an Alice Gehabich here?" The woman tapped on the computer to look for her name. She asked, "And may I ask why you want to know if this person is here?" I tapped my foot and said, "I'm an old friend of hers. If you have her number, then you can call her and verify whether I'm telling the truth or not."

The woman nodded and kept staring at the computer. "That won't be necessary. Here she is. She's on the third floor, room 302." Kuda said the floor and room number at the same time as the desk clerk did. I narrowed my eyes at him, causing him to fold his ears back defensively.

The woman then told me, "She's with the Marakura party, but they aren't here right now. Their group should be back around five or six from what I've been told." I looked at the clock. It wasn't even two 'o' clock yet. "Alright. Thanks for your time," I told the woman and left the desk so she could tend to other people.

I left the lobby and walked back out to the street. It would have been weird if I sat in the lobby for four hours. "Now that you know she won't be back soon, will you listen to me?" Kuda asked. I sighed. Sometimes having Kuda around was worse than a fly buzzing around your head.

_Except he's a lot easier to swat._ "Fine. What do you want to tell me so badly?" My feet were starting to grow tired, so I walked down the sidewalk and sat on a bench that wasn't too far from the hotel. I would at least be able to see when the others returned.

Kuda told me, "You can't get near her. I'm not telling you this because you have to be cut off from them, but because you literally can't." I raised a brow and said, "You're making no sense, Kuda." In my opinion, it sounded like a lame excuse he was using in order to keep my cut off from the world.

I was doing this to help Alice and see if there was some way I could figure out my curse. I wasn't doing this because I wanted to be involved with my old friends again. _Am I?_ The thought finally hit me. Was I really doing this cause of my curse, or was I using it as a means of getting back with my old life?

Getting involved again was out of the question. That was something I could only dream about. I hadn't even realized Kuda was speaking. I didn't hear a single word he had said to me. "Do you understand now?" he asked? I nodded, not wanting to burden him with having to repeat it again.

_Alice_

I made it back to the conference room, still trembling on the inside. The others were sitting around outside, and I looked up at the clock. It was way past three. Runo ran to me and said, "There you are! We were starting to worry when you weren't here."

By the looks of things, the presentation was over. The conference room doors were wide open, revealing that the inside was empty and lacking of people. "I'm sorry to make you guys worry," I said. My voice was soft and shaky.

I felt like I was losing control of my mind and going crazy. Runo placed her hand on my forehead and asked, "Are you feeling ok, Alice?" I wanted to shake my head and tell her no. I wanted to spill everything to them about the black eyes and the museum employee.

I wanted to tell them everything. But I didn't. It would only make them worry, or verify my fear that I was going insane. The others appeared behind Runo. Julie asked, "What's wrong with Alice?" _Everything, _I said to myself. Runo took off her jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

"She's just not feeling well. Let's get her back to the hotel," the bluenette told them. I was still clenching the cross in my hand when we got back on the bus, and all during the ride back. The bus stopped in front of our hotel, and we stepped off. It was dark now, and the many outside lamps on the building and street provided us with light.

The busy sidewalks, were no longer all that busy now that it was late. The street was about the same though. I was going up the stairs and thought somebody call my name, when a car slammed on their brakes, then blew their horn. I turned around and looked to see what was going on.

All I saw was the car get back in its lane, and turn a corner. Runo grabbed my hand and said, "Come on, Alice. Let's get you back to your room." I rubbed the cross with my thumb and followed Runo inside.

_Shun_

I had my arms crossed over my chest and sighed. It was getting dark, and there was no sign of Alice or any of the others. A man walked by and I stopped him. "Um, sir? Do you have the time?" He pulled out his phone and said, "6:50." I thanked him and sat back down.

Kuda had fallen asleep next to me, and looked uncomfortable on the wooden bench. I wasn't all that comfortable either. _Where are they?_ The desk clerk had said they would be back at five or six. Well, it was well past those times, and I was growing annoyed.

Then, a large charter bus pulled up to the front of the hotel. I didn't think nothing of it, until I saw Dan and the others start to step out. A bus was not what I was expecting them to be on. I was expecting Kato and the limo.

I saw Alice step out, and ran towards her. "Al-" I didn't get fifteen feet from her when I was thrown back and into the street. I groaned in pain, then was blinded by headlights. I then remembered, I was in the middle of the street.

Quickly, I ran to the other side before I was hit by a car. A parked moving van was in the way, but when I looked underneath it, I saw Alice looking out into the street. Runo then grabbed her hand, and they went inside. I grabbed onto my side. It was burning with pain. _What the hell was that?_

Kuda floated across the busy street. When he got to where I was, he looked at me with narrowed eyes. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" he asked coldly. I sighed. "No." It felt like I ran into a brick wall, then was shocked afterwards.

Kuda rolled his eyes and said, "I tried to tell you that you can't get near her because she has a blessed cross on. But it looks like it took getting slapped with it to get that through your thick skull." He tapped the top of my head with his paw for emphasis.

I stood up, leaning on the parked moving van so I wouldn't fall over. "Alright, you go and snatch the cross off of her neck so I can get close to her without feeling the wrath of God hit me," I said. Kuda started to repeatedly hit his head against the moving van.

"You really don't listen, do you?" he said. I sighed and asked, "What did I miss out on now?" Kuda stopped hitting his head on the van and glared at me. "I tried to tell you that even I couldn't get near her. I've been around you for so long, that your demonic energy has rubbed off on me. To that cross, I'm an Akuma. Just like you."

Somewhere in the city, I heard the telltale scream of an Akuma being killed. "The hell?" I said. Another was followed by that one, and then another. The hairs along Kuda's body stood up on end. "I forgot he was here," the Kanko said. More cries of dying Akuma filled the air.

"Who's here?" I asked, feeling a nervous chill run up my spine. "Star. I forgot he was in the area. We need to get you out of here before he finds you and kills you," Kuda said urgently. More dying screams of Akuma rose from the alleys in the city.

He had to have just killed more than I had in a month, in about five minutes. I asked, "What the hell is Star doing in Wardington? Doesn't he know these are my hunting grounds?" Star hunted in Bay City, not Wardington.

He was way off from his hunting area, and he knew good and well that I hunted in Wardington. Akuma hunters respected other hunter's territory. Kuda shook his head and told me, "I don't know why Star is hunting here, but we have to get you the hell out of here before you become his next target."

Normally, I would have gone after a hunter who had invaded my territory, but this was Star. This guy didn't play around. I would be nothing more than an easy kill for him, regardless of the condition I was in.

"Alright, let's get the hell out of here," I told Kuda. We ran back to the apartment, leaving behind the screams of Akuma that Star had killed.

* * *

ah. another day, another chapter as i always say...ok. i've never said that in my life. 0.0 -laughs nervously- hehehehe. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	12. Insomnia

_Shun_

Kuda and I made it back to the apartment without encountering the rampaging Star on the way. The Kanko was panting and said breathlessly, "I have never gone that fast in my life. I think it might have pulled something." I ignored his whining and turned on the lights. "If that's the case, then you need to get in shape," I told him. Kuda only laughed.

"Me? Exercise? You've lost it if you think I'd do that in my lifetime." He floated over to the loveseat and stretched his long body out on the cushions. I forced open the window, making a note to do something about the rust that had built up on it.

The dying screams of Akuma were still filling the air. I didn't understand why Star was in Wardington. A chill shot up my back when another Akuma screamed as it died. That could have just as easily been me. I had been lucky that I had never ran into Star.

The only reason I knew about him, was through other Akuma. It wasn't a difficult task to eavesdrop on them and get informed on what was going on. Star was always a hot topic with the Akuma. I pulled the window closed, muting the sounds of dying Akuma. Star, like any sane hunter, would never hunt in the daytime.

So I would be safe during that time. But if I went outside at night, I would have to keep my guard up. At least until Star left. I laid down on my bed and folded my hands behind my head. The day, like any other, had taken a toll on me. Kuda was already asleep, curled up in his usual spot on the loveseat. I closed my eyes and sighed.

_Alice_

Back at the hotel, Runo took me up to my room and tucked me into my bed. I told her, "You don't have to do this for me." I didn't like making her or the others worry about me. It only made me feel like I was a burden to them.

Runo smiled and said, "It's no problem, Alice. Here, let's take that necklace off so it won't get tangled in your hair while you're asleep." Runo reached for the cross, and I stopped her. She looked surprised by my actions. "Alice?" she asked. I suddenly felt embarrassed.

It would sound stupid if I told her that I didn't want to take it off cause it made me feel safe from all the crazy things happening. Then, of course, I would have to explain what all the 'crazy things' were.

I let go of her hand and said with a smile, "I don't mind sleeping in it. Besides, it's too much of a hassle to get unlatched." Runo only looked more worried about me. "Alright. If you say so," she said softly and left my room. I didn't like lying to them. I wanted to tell them the truth so they would stop worrying about me.

_But telling them could only make it worse._ Not only would they worry, but they would think I was losing my mind. And at this point, I was starting to believe that I was going crazy. It was like I had no control anymore. _I just want answers, _I said to myself.

I played with the cross by twirling it with my fingers. The metal was cool and smooth to the touch, and I felt myself relax some. It was like having a worry stone. _I just wish it could stop me from seeing those creepy eyes. _I rolled over on my side, still fumbling with the cross, and finally drifted into a restless sleep.

_Shun_

What I was seeing had to be a nightmare. I was back at my old home, and on the day that the Oni came and killed my family. I was hiding in the closet, looking through the slits in the door and seeing the horror once again.

The house was on fire, and smoke was leaking into the closet, making me cough and my eyes water. Screams pierced through the roar of the flames, and I covered my ears so I wouldn't have to hear it. But it didn't help. Somehow, the screams only got louder and louder.

I screamed for them to stop, but they didn't. I wasn't able to take it any longer, and ran out from my hiding place, only to find myself surrounded by the Oni and the Akuma he brought with him. I fell backwards and stared up at them in horror.

The Oni gave me a devilish smile and said, "Looks like we almost missed one." I looked past him, and saw my mother laying on the ground, not moving. The Oni reached his hand out to grab me and I screamed. Then, I watched as they were consumed by black flames and dropped to the ground. Dead.

Water was splashed on my face, and I shot up in my bed. I frantically looked around until I saw Kuda holding an empty glass in his paws. He told me, "You were screaming in your sleep." I looked down at my hands. They were shaking violently. I clenched my hands into fists to try and stop them from shaking so badly.

It didn't do much to help. Kuda looked worried, his ears folded back. "That dream again?" he asked. I nodded, trying to tell myself that I was awake now. That I was no longer reliving that nightmare. This wasn't the first time that I had that dream, and I knew it wouldn't be the last.

I climbed out of my bed and took off my shirt that had been soaked with water, thanks to Kuda. But I was grateful that he woke me up. I slipped into a dry shirt and stared at my bed. The pillow and most of the sheets had gotten water on them. Kuda's ears folded back.

"Sorry, but I couldn't wake you up," he said. I pulled the sheets off and told him, "It's alright." I went over to my closet and took out a dry pillowcase and sheets, and put them on the bed. While I was smoothing out the sheets, I told Kuda, "Next time, maybe use a little less water."

He went back to his spot on the loveseat and said, "Maybe next time don't scream so much in your sleep." I chuckled. "I'll try." I straightened the pillowcase and laid back down. I glanced at Kuda. He had already gone back to sleep.

I sighed and rolled over, making my back face the Kanko. I was scared to fall back asleep. I didn't want to experience that dream two times in one night. It was bad enough to have it every once in a while. I was always like this after having that dream though.

I would be terrified to go back to sleep, but I eventually would and everything would be fine. I pulled my blanket up to my chin. What happened to my family, wasn't what made the dream unbearable. Yeah, it wasn't the best thing to witness again and again, but it wasn't what troubled me.

What did, was me. How I lost control that day and killed those Akuma. The black flames that burned them to ash. That was all me. I was more terrified of myself than I was of the demons who took everything from me. I had felt no different than the monsters who took my family away from me.

I had always been told that we weren't like them cause we had human souls, but at that moment, I didn't see how. In my mind, I was no different. I was a monster like them. Light hit me right in my eyes, making me sit up and shield my vision from the brightness. It was morning.

I had laid there the remainder of the night and dwelled on my thoughts. I got out of the bed and went over to the window. I was about to close the blinds, but opened it instead. The night that had been filled with the sounds of carnage was gone, and now it was replaced with the sounds of morning traffic.

Either Star had gotten his fill of dead Akuma, or he ran out of time. I grabbed the string and pulled the blinds down before Kuda woke up and complained. I then searched around the apartment and found a piece of paper and pen.

I scribbled a note down for Kuda so he wouldn't wonder where I had run off to this time. I placed the note on my pillow and left the apartment.

_Kuda_

I yawned and stretched my body. Thanks to Shun's nightmare, I had been rudely woken up in the middle of the night. But I wasn't going to blame my master for waking me up. He had no control over his dreams. Because if he did, he wouldn't continue to have the same one of his family being killed.

I looked at his bed and found it empty. Resting on the pillowcase, was a note. It said _'at the house'_ and that was it. But I knew exactly where he was at. I was impressed that he bothered to tell me where he was.

I usually had to deal with the age-old question of where he was at. I slipped through the wall of the apartment and stared to head out of the city. I followed the road that connected Wardington with Bay City, and turned onto an old dirt path.

The trees and underbrush had almost covered up the old road, but I knew it was still there. The path went up a long hill, then stopped at a flattened out area. When I reached the top of the hill, I saw Shun standing in the clearing.

_Shun_

Kuda joined my side and I said, "I see you still remember where this place is." The Kanko rested on my shoulder and said, "How could I not? You've dragged me up here so many times." I smiled. _Isn't that the truth._ I walked through the clearing, stepping over charred pieces of wood that was scattered across the ground.

You used to be able to look out from the hill and see the city, but after so many years, the trees now blocked the view. This place was now a secret kept by only those who remembered it was here. And that wasn't very many.

It was just my grandfather and I. In the middle of the clearing, was a stone marker. Moss had turned the gray rock green in some places. I knelt in front of it and pulled some of the vines off of the stone, revealing words that were carved into it.

It explained what happened here, but it wasn't the truth. According to the story on the marker, it described a killing of an entire family, and the killer was never found. _And they'll never find him cause I killed him, _I said to myself. A gentle breeze rushed through the clearing, picking up ashes and carrying them through the air.

Being so far from the city, and so deep in the woods, a silence hung in the air. It wasn't a peaceful silence though. To me, it was eerie, almost like the place was still mourning what happened here. Kuda showed up next to me with a white flower that he found somewhere in the forest.

He placed it next to the stone marker, where it joined the other withered and rotten flowers that had been placed there over the years. I smiled at Kuda. "Thanks," I told him. He smiled and rested back on my shoulders.

My smile vanished when I looked past the stone marker and at the charred remains of my old home. I blinked once, and could see how everything was before the Oni killed everyone and destroyed everything.

But when I blinked again, it was gone. A tear rolled down my cheek and landed in the dirt. _Why couldn't I have died that day?_ More tears rolled off of my cheeks and landed in the dirt.

* * *

kind of some short POV's in there, but i promise you that the next chapter is going to be awesome. X) a lot of things will happen. eeee! i'm excited just thinking about it. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	13. Monster

_Shun_

It was late evening when I finally decided it was time to leave the old house. I sighed and jumped from the tree branch I was sitting on, landing perfectly on my feet. Kuda was draped along my shoulders, trying to shake the last bit of sleep that clung on him.

"Are we heading back to the apartment?" he asked groggily. I shook my head. "You can. I want to go and do some free-style hunting and kill an Akuma before Star gets them all," I told him. After hearing the carnage from last night, I wasn't sure how many demons Star had left me. And after being back at the place that drove me to hunting from the start, I was eager to take more of the monsters' lives.

"I think I'll go with you on this hunt," the Kanko said next to my ear. Kuda hadn't gone with me on a hunt in years, and I was curious to know why he suddenly wanted to. "Alright," I said. It wasn't like he was either useful or a liability to me, so I didn't mind if he went or not.

I stepped out of the hidden path and looked back up at the hill. Trees and other plants blocked my view, but I still could imagine that I saw the old house. Kuda tapped my arm, reminding me that we had to leave and go back to Wardington.

I didn't want to leave this place, but at the same time, I did. It held too many painful and bad memories for me to handle, but it also reminded me of why I did what I did. The sky was turning darker and darker by the minute, giving way to the witching hour for Akuma. _And Star, _I thought to myself.

Not only would I have to watch myself from the Akuma, but I also had that bloodthirsty maniac to look out for as well. By the time we got back to Wardington, it was well past dark, and the city's busy streets had calmed down for the night.

I felt Kuda tense up on my shoulder. I asked, "What's up? You find an Akuma nearby?" The Kanko shook his head. "I don't know what it is, but I don't like it," he said grimly.

I continued to walk along the sidewalk, looking around for anything that may try to attack us. "If that's the case, then I'll be more alert," I told him. Kuda nodded and didn't mention it again.

_Dan_

I kicked my shoes off and sat down on my hotel bed. Even though Murucho was the one doing all the hard work, just watching him was tiring me out. And on top of that, Alice wasn't acting like her normal self. "This city has gotten crazy," I said to myself.

When I used to live here, I recalled that it was less hectic, almost carefree. But now, everybody seemed so uptight and serious. _Glad I don't live here anymore, _I mused silently. I got up from my bed and pulled the window blinds up. Outside, Wardington Tower was lit up like it was every night.

That seemed to be the only thing that hadn't changed. Something below caught my eye. I looked down and saw Shun walking along the sidewalk. "Shun? What the heck are you doing out here this late at night?" I asked myself.

Alice wasn't lying when she said that Shun was in Wardington. Not wanting to lose sight of my best friend, I quickly pulled my shoes on, grabbed my room key, and ran out of the hotel. When I got outside, I scanned around for Shun. I didn't see him anywhere.

But I was still determined that I would find him. _He couldn't have gotten that far._ I started down the sidewalk, checking every alley and corner that I walked by. Confused, I scratched my head and growled. I had gone down several blocks, and saw no sign that Shun had been this way.

Deciding that it was time to give up before I got lost, I turned around and bumped into something. At first, I thought it may have been a streetlight by how solid it was. I rubbed my nose and looked up to see that I had walked into somebody, not something. "Uh, I'm sorry," I told the person.

The guy easily dwarfed me, and was definitely somebody that I didn't want to pick a fight with. I started to walk around him, and felt him grab onto my shoulder. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

His grip tightened more and more on my shoulder, and I thought he might break my arm. I was able to look up and see some of his shadowed facial features. He had long, pointed teeth and black eyes. "You'll do nicely," he said in a growling voice. I screamed.

_Shun_

I cut through an alley to get to the other side of Wardington when I heard somebody screaming. "That doesn't sound like an Akuma," Kuda stated. _No. It almost sounds like Dan. But I can't be, _I said to myself.

The screaming stopped as quickly as it had started. So even if I wanted to run to the person's help, there was no way of knowing where they were. I turned around and kept going down the alley. All I could do was hope that whoever was screaming, was alright.

Above me, something ran across the rooftops. "What was that?" I asked, knowing I wouldn't get an answer. I was then hit in the back, knocking me down and throwing Kuda from my shoulders. I scrambled up on my feet and was faced with a guy.

He was dressed in clothes that looked like they were from the 1600s, and was holding a saber, a kind of sword. The man tossed back his waist-length silver hair and pointed the saber at me. A black Kanko appeared at his side, snarling at me.

"I take it you must be the Star that I've heard so much about," I said. He circled around me, never pointing the saber anywhere else but my throat. "And you must be that Akuma that thinks he can play hunter," he said harshly.

I materialized my sword in my hand, bracing myself for his attack. My heart felt like it was going to leap from my chest. This guy could kill me without breaking a sweat or having a hair fall out of place. I asked coldly, "So, why the hell are you in Wardington? I thought you only hunted in Bay City. Don't you know that this is my territory?"

Star chuckled and said, "If you keep killing Akuma for much longer, then it won't be. You'll be dead, leaving this place to be overrun with demons. As if you were making a difference here anyway. But I'm not here for you. I'm here for an Oni that got away from me. Although, I could go ahead and cut you down while I'm here."

He swung the blade of the saber at me, and I blocked the hit with my sword. I was struggling to hold him back. _He's not playing around._ Being so close to the saber, I was able to see the inscriptions etched into the blade. It was blessed. _So that's how he's able to kill Akuma._

I pushed him back, only to block consecutive attack after consecutive attack. Star spun around, kicking my feet out from underneath me. I landed on the ground, dropping my sword. It vanished into the air, leaving me completely defenseless.

Star pointed the tip of his saber at my throat. "Pathetic," he spat. "This is what has been hunting Akuma here in Wardington for all of these years? I'll be satisfied with just getting you out of the way." He was about to ram the saber into my neck when a mad laughter stopped him just a few centimeters short.

He looked up, and we both saw the source of the hyena-like laugh. "Dan?" I said. He was sitting in the brick windowsill of a building, holding his sides. His eyes were pitch black, teeth turned in fangs, and fingers sporting claws. _He's possessed._

_Shun_

"There you are!" Star shouted. The possessed Dan waved down at the silver-haired hunter and said, "What a pleasant reunion this is, Star. So, how have you been since I nearly killed you back in Bay City?" Star swung the saber at his side and snapped, "I'll kill you a thousand times over for the humiliation you caused me, Oni!"

Star leaped up and was getting ready to cut Dan in half. I formed another sword in my hand and jumped in front of Star, blocking his swing. The two of us landed back on the ground, glaring at each other. "Damn Akuma," Star growled.

"Get out of my way!" Star began to bombard me with constant swings of his saber. I was having trouble matching his speed, and was just barely blocking the hits. The Oni that was possessing Dan, was laughing again. Star and I both stopped and looked up at him.

"Isn't this lovely? Two hunters fighting over me. I feel so loved," the Oni said with a wicked sneer. Star growled and glared at me. He said harshly, "I won't be able to kill that Oni as long as your in my way." He charged at me again.

The sounds of metal clashing against metal filled the alley, along with the Oni's demented laughter. I stumbled, almost losing my balance. When I brought my attention back to Star, his saber just did miss my head, and cut through a lock of my hair. I was able to see my reflection in the metal as it passed by me.

My heart was racing from adrenaline after that. The Oni laughed again and said, "This is priceless. An Akuma risking his life to save his possessed human friend. It makes my soulless heart swell with joy." He laughed again and Star looked at me curtly.

"Now I see why you want to help him. But I hate to tell you, I don't care if he's possessed. I'm getting my payback. That will have to wait till you're out of my way though." Star's saber sliced into my arm, and I cried out.

I held tightly onto my arm, feeling my blood run into my hand. Between the Oni's mad laugh, and Star's constant attacks, I was growing tired and annoyed. That was when I lost control.

_Shun_

The black flames enveloped me, but they didn't burn my skin or clothes. Star took a step away from me and raised his saber. The Oni had stopped laughing and mused, "Things have gotten interesting." I charged at Star. This time it was him who was trying to deflect my attacks.

His cape caught fire when it touched the flames that were surrounding me. With that distraction, I swung my sword, slicing into his abdomen. Star was flung back and tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt. "Master Star!"

His Kanko flew down next to him trying to wake her injured master. Below, in the mixture of my blood and Star's, I saw my reflection. My eyes were glowing red, teeth turned into fangs, and my nails were now claws. Seeing myself, I stepped back and tightly closed my eyes, shaking my head.

_Calm down! Calm down! Calm down! Calm down! _The black flames went out, and I turned back to myself. Or what I considered myself. "Aw. But things were getting interesting," said the Oni who had possessed Dan. He continued to speak and said, "I haven't seen those flames since you killed my brother when you were little."

I felt my eyes widen. This Oni was the brother of the one who killed my family. I growled, which only seemed to make him laugh more. I raised my sword and was about to go at him when he waved his index finger. "Nope. Wouldn't want to do that. Not only would you hurt your little friend, but you would also end up hurting yourself. You know, with that curse of your's."

Star still hadn't moved a muscle, and his Kanko kept yelling his name. I yelled at the Oni, "I don't care about my damn curse!" I was about to jump up the windowsill and attack him, regardless of the fact that he was still possessing Dan, but I stopped when he said his next words.

"I see you don't even know how to break your own curse." The Oni was laughing his hyena-like laugh. I snapped at him, "And you do?" The Oni smiled and said, "As a matter of fact, I do. My brother, as I said before, liked to make things interesting. Your curse has a key. Kill the key, and your curse will be broken, and all of its damage will be reversed."

The Oni tapped his chin and waited to see my reaction. I yelled at him, "What are you talking about!" The possessed Dan jumped down from the windowsill and smiled, showing the pointed teeth. "In my opinion, it was a waste of my brother's power to make a way to break your curse, but I'm just like him. I like things interesting," said the Oni.

I pointed the tip of my sword at him, forgetting that he was using Dan as his shield. "You said something about killing the key will break my curse. What key?" I asked harshly. The Oni chuckled and lowed the tip of the blade. "You already know her," he said smoothly.

When I realized who the 'key' was, I dropped my sword. It vanished before it even hit the ground. "I'm not going to kill Alice," I said coldly. The Oni rubbed his hands together and said, "You say that now, but I can see that you're tempted. It would mean you could kill all the Akuma you wanted. It all comes down to how badly you want revenge for what my brother did to your family."

The Oni stepped away from me and said with a smile, "I told you my brother liked to make things interesting." A black mist then leaped from Dan and vanished into the shadows. Dan's limp body then fell onto the ground. I stood there, not sure what to do. "Master Star!"

The screaming snapped me out of my trance, and I looked over to see Star was still motionless. Kuda and Star's Kanko were floating over him. I ran towards them and felt my eyes widen when I saw Star's injuries. The gash in his abdomen was deep, but what shocked me the most, was the way the skin around the wound was turning black.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked, hoping that I didn't cause that somehow. Kuda looked up at me and said, "You've never harmed a human, so you don't know what happens when an Akuma injures one. The wound becomes infected and starts rapidly decaying." _So I did do this?_

More and more of Star's skin started to turn black and he screamed. His Kanko closed her eyes and started to mutter something. I asked Kuda, "What's she doing?" The black Kanko then placed her short paws on Star's discolored skin, and I watched as the black was washed away, leaving the gash from my blade.

Star let out a sigh of relief. The black Kanko looked up at me and said harshly, "I purified his wound." I glanced at Kuda, wondering why he couldn't do that. Star groaned as he used his saber to get back on his feet. He held on tightly to the gash in his stomach.

"I-I'm sorry. I d-don't know wh-what-" Star pointed the end of his saber at my neck, pure hatred in his eyes. "Shut your mouth, Akuma. You're lucky I'm in bad shape, or else I'd cut your head from your shoulders," he said with a snarl.

He slid the saber into its holster and he lumbered off down the alley. "Master!" I snapped out of it and looked to see Kuda next to Dan. I knelt beside my friend and rolled him over onto his back. He was unconscious, but alive.

Humans were lucky to survive being possessed by an Akuma, and extremely fortunate to survive being possessed by an Oni. Kuda asked, "What do you suggest we do? We can't leave him here in this alley…..Can we?"

I shook my head and draped one of Dan's arms over my shoulder. I said, "We'll sneak him back into the hotel and have to hope that when he wakes up he'll think this was all a dream."

* * *

_chapter title based off the song Monster by Skillet. _hola! ^^ well, i got that out of my system. ;p so, was it worth the wait of 24ish hours? and with the introduction of Star, i think you all deserve to know, thanks to a suggestion (Hungryhippo1000) i have done the look-a-likes for Dante, Wrath, Star, and Kuda. If you go to my profile, go to my PHOTOBUCKET link. i am no longer using my deviantart for the look-a-likes cause people are ignorant there. -.-well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	14. One In The Same

_Shun_

Sneaking Dan back to the hotel wasn't a problem. The only person in the lobby, the desk clerk, was asleep at her desk. Kuda and I pretty much walked past her, carrying an unconscious Dan, and never ran into any trouble. "It might help if we knew what room he was in," I said when we got in the elevator.

I saw the light bulb pop on above Kuda's head. The Kanko then rummaged through the pocket of Dan's jacket and pulled out the room key, which had the number on the back. I smiled and said, "Kuda, you're a genius." He smiled and handed me the key card.

We found his room with little trouble. I rubbed my shoulder after we got Dan back in his room. He needed to lose a few pounds. Kuda tugged on my shirt sleeve and said, "Alright, now let's get out of here. I feel like we're breaking a law or something."

I sighed, stuffing my hands into my jacket pockets and leaving the room. After all of my hard work to keep them safe, my friends were getting involved anyway. And in Alice's case, she had been involved for years, and neither of us knew it.

Kuda and I left the hotel and made our way back to the apartments. It had been a long day, and I was feeling every last effect of it. A sense of relief washed over me when I saw the rundown apartment complex. When we got to my apartment, I unlocked the door and stepped inside. "Close the door, Kuda."

I heard the click of the latch locking back in place, and laid down on my bed. Kuda curled up on the loveseat and said, "This day has just been too crazy for my liking. Now I remember why I stopped going on hunts with you." I rolled over onto my side, my back facing the Kanko.

I didn't feel like talking about the recent events. They were still plenty fresh in my mind. What was really gnawing on my thoughts, was Alice. She had been the answer to my curse all these years. _But I'd have to kill her, _I added.

I wasn't going to do that. I would rather die than kill her, regardless if it rid me of my curse. But the temptation was there, and I hated it. _"It all comes down to how badly you want your revenge,"_ I heard the Oni's voice echo in my thoughts. When I first started hunting Akuma, I said that I would do anything, and everything, to get payback for all the pain they had caused me.

Would I have been fretting over this if the answer to my curse was a total stranger. Probably not. I would have made the choice then and there to kill them and go on with my daily routine. But this was Alice. I doubted that I would be able to bring myself to kill her, even if I was able to think it over for years.

Why though? The moment that she found out what I was, that would be it. I had been living my life as a human almost all of my life, and that's what they saw me as. After tonight though, it only proved that I wasn't.

So, why spare her life cause I care about her, when I knew that it wouldn't be returned the moment the truth came out? I mentally shook myself. _No, this is what that Oni wants me to think._ But I wasn't what the others thought I was.

The image of how I looked when I lost control and attacked Star, popped back into my mind. No control. No remorse. Nothing. Seeing my reflection could have fooled me if somebody told me that was a creature with a human soul.

That was the same thing that I had been spending my whole life trying to control, and in one night, I found out that I had none over it. All I had done to it, was suppress it. Knowing that, when would I lose it again? That uncertainty frightened me. I was nothing more than a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment.

What if I lost control when I was around Alice or one of the others? Not only would they see what I was, I could end up killing them. I brought my blanket up to my chin and sighed. How was I any different from the monsters that I hunted?

I closed my eyes and heard Star's voice say, _"You must be the Akuma that thinks he can play hunter."_ I was a contradiction, a hypocrite. I went and killed those monsters because of what they did to me, and how dangerous they were.

And I was no different than them. I deserved to die as much as any of those Akuma. I didn't even realize that I had been crying. _That seems to be the only thing having a soul is good for._

I hadn't felt like this since my family was killed. And the reason I felt like this, was because I was scared of myself. I said to myself through gritted teeth, "I hate what I am."

_Dan_

I fell out of my bed and landed on the floor. Startled, I frantically looked around to see what was going on, and realized that I was in my hotel room. "What the?" I stood up and saw I was still in my clothes from yesterday. _Did I fall asleep in them last night?_

When I thought about it, I never recalled even going to bed. I said to myself, "The last thing I remember was…..Seeing Shun walking outside!" I ran to the window and looked out. I was certain that I had seen Shun going down the sidewalk below last night, and that I had chased after him.

A pain shot through my side, causing me to latch onto the spot. _What the hell happened last night?_ I was a hundred percent certain that I chased after Shun, but the rest was nothing but a blank. It bugged me. _Something happened, I know it._

This couldn't have been be a dream. It was just too real. The digital clock next to my bed started to buzz, and I looked at the time. It was past noon. "I missed breakfast!" I snatched up my room key and hurried downstairs, only to find that the diner was cleared of its food. Both breakfast, and lunch.

An imaginary cloud of despair hung over my head as my stomach growled. "Dan?" I heard Runo's voice ask from behind me. I turned around and saw the others giving me confused looks.

Murucho said, "We've been calling your room all morning to try and wake you up and got no answer. We were starting to get worried when you weren't here for breakfast, and Julie wanted to call 911 when you didn't show for lunch."

I scratched the back of my head and laughed nervously. "Sorry, guys. I overslept." Runo crossed her arms over her chest and said, "This is late, even for you, Dan." _You're telling me._ My stomach growled, making several people in the lobby turn around and look.

Alice smiled and said, "He's fine." She was looking more like herself than she had the other day. Hopefully she was out of whatever funk she had fallen into. It was one think to see Runo or Julie acting out of the norm, but when Alice did, it made me worry.

Along with everyone else. My stomach growled again, letting me know that I was hungry. Murucho laughed and said, "Come on. I don't have any presentations today, so we'll go and get something for Dan to eat and go from there." I smiled and told Murucho, "My stomach loves you right now."

We left the hotel and stopped at a crosswalk. While we were waiting for the light to change, I heard Julie say, "What's up with that guy's outfit?" I looked around and saw her pointing across the street at a guy with long, silver hair and dressed in something that looks like he would have gotten from Klaus.

Runo told Julie, "I don't know. Maybe there's a cosplay thing in town." I stared at the guy, trying to wonder why he looked so familiar to me. The crosswalk signal changed, and we crossed the street. I passed by the guy, and both of us glanced at each other.

Well, he did something more like a glare. "Dan! Are you just going to stand in the middle of the street and let traffic run you over!" I snapped out of it and saw Runo yelling at me. I had stopped walking, and cars were blowing their horns. I hurried to catch up with the others.

The light turned green, and traffic started to move again. I turned around to see if I could spot the strangely dressed man. I saw him for a split second when a large moving van got in the way. When it drove by, the man was gone. _Who the heck is that guy?_

_Kuda_

It was difficult to get to sleep after I heard what Shun said. _"I hate what I am."_ I had hoped that the night's events hadn't gotten to him, but it looked like they had. When we took the brunette back to that hotel, Shun was acting like his usual self. For the most part.

I should have known that would change the moment we got back to the apartment. It was foolish for me to think otherwise. Morning rolled around, and I hadn't gone to sleep. Maybe I thought Shun would lose it or something. I left the loveseat and drifted over to him.

His eyes were halfway open and staring off into nothing, but he was awake. I didn't even bother talking to him. I knew I wouldn't get a response. He was zoned out. A tempting urge to throw another glass of water came to my mind, but I decided against it.

Doing that wouldn't benefit either of our health. I sat on the armrest of the loveseat and sighed; I was worried about him. His mind had to be all kinds of mixed up at the moment. On one hand, he had to deal with the fact that the orange-haired girl was the way to break his curse.

And on the other, he had to deal with the fact that he lost control. I glanced out of the window and saw Teru on one of the roofs nearby. Shun wasn't going to snap out of it anytime soon, so I went through the window to talk with the Kanko. "Teru," I said when I got closer.

I did a quick scan around the area to see if Star was hiding out anywhere. When I didn't see him, I loosened up some. "Kuda," she said back to me. That was one good thing about us Kanko; we didn't let our masters' difference get in the way of talking to each other.

_They could take some pointers from us, _I mused. Although, since I was involved with an Akuma, I wasn't the most popular one floating around. I asked, "What are you doing up here?" She was staring out at the city when she answered my question.

"Star is…..Well, he isn't very pleasant to be around right now." I entertained the idea of Star ever being pleasant. "Where is the wanna-be pirate anyway?" I asked. Teru smiled at my little joke about Star's fashion choices. "He's running around here somewhere. I tried to get him to rest, but that's easier said than done."

I knew how that went. When I first started to serve Shun, I didn't think I'd ever be able to get him to stop and take a break. But as the years went by and he wore himself down, I didn't have to worry about making him rest. He did that on his own now.

Teru folded her ears back and said, "I was scared last night. When your master lost control. I actually thought he was going to kill Star. If it weren't for that Oni distracting him, he might have." I wasn't about to deny it, I thought Shun was going to kill Star as well.

And like Teru had said, he might have if Shun hadn't gotten a grip on himself when he did. The black Kanko shot me a serious look. "Tell your master to keep an extra eye out. Because I know for certain that Star is going to try his damnedest to kill him after what happened last night. As you can tell with that Oni, Star doesn't take defeat that well."

That was an understatement. Star came all the way from Bay City to here in order to kill an Oni that got away from him. And cause of Shun, that Oni got away again. "I'll be sure to tell him," I told Teru. _When he snaps out of it, _I silently added. Shun had picked a wonderful time to check out.

Now he had the savage Star looking for him. Teru glanced at me and said, "When I purified Star's injury last night, I noticed you looked kind of guilty. You haven't lost your powers, have you?" I folded my ears back. _Crap…_

I sighed and told her, "I haven't practiced in years. So, yeah. All I can do now is locate Akuma." It was sad that I couldn't use what was my birthright. At one point, I used to be able to do what Teru did for Star and even more. But they were holy-based powers, and if I used them on Shun, they would have only hurt him.

So, I just gave up on using them, and now they had all but gone away. That had to be the only regret I had for being stuck with Shun. Teru shook her head. "That's a shame. Well, I better get going and find Star." She left before I had the chance to tell her goodbye. I sighed and headed back to the apartment.

* * *

this has been the first day in weeks that i've woken up before 9 'o' clock. o.o it's a miracle! XD but sadly i have a super long chore list to do. o.o'' and it involves scrubbing pink algae. O_o i didnt know algae could be pink. im kind of scared of it. pray for me that i don't get attacked by it! DX read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	15. Different Views

_Kuda_

I was tempted to leave the apartment as soon as I got back. I had to have been gone no longer than an hour, and I come back to find Shun passed out on his bed, an empty glass laying on the floor next to him. Aggravated, I go over next to him and nudge his shoulder with my paw.

"Get up," I said sternly. He only made a noise and moved a little, but didn't wake. _How sad, _I said sarcastically to myself. I caught sight of a pillow that he had knocked off of his bed, and got an idea. Grabbing the pillow between my paws, I floated up to the ceiling and got in position, then let it go.

The pillow landed on top of Shun's face. He flinched and took the pillow off his face and stared at it, then at me. I narrowed my eyes at him and as I floated back down I said, "Just because you can't die from kidney failure or alcohol poisoning, doesn't mean go and get drunk off your ass when you're depressed."

He glared and threw the pillow at me, which I just barely dodged. "Buzz off," he said flatly and laid back down. I felt like a vein was about to pop in my head. "I will not buzz off," I snapped. Shun sat up and gave me a look that suggested otherwise.

His eyes were glazed over, and his cheeks were slightly flushed from the alcohol. "I know that last night wasn't a successful hunt. Trust me, it sucked for everyone. But just because some things got to you, doesn't mean that intoxicating yourself into a coma is going to help," I said with a sigh.

I expected him to give me the same answer that he gave me when I asked why he drank. _"It makes reality a little easier to handle."_ But he didn't say it. Instead, he laid back down. If my paw could have reached my face, I would have been hitting myself.

I mumbled to myself, "I forgot who I was dealing with." I went over to the loveseat and laid down along the armrest. "Alright, what's bugging you so badly? Is this about that curse thing, or losing control?" I asked after clearing my throat.

Shun glanced at me over his shoulder and said, "Right now, you. I thought I told you to buzz off." I closed my eyes and said flatly, "I'm not going to 'buzz off' until you tell me, the only pipe fox and shrink that will deal with you, what's got you in such a wonderful mood."

He sat up and glared. "Everything! You know as well as I do what's bothering me!" he snapped. He shut his eyes tightly to try and stop a tear from spilling over, but it didn't work. I closed my eyes and sighed. He wasn't lying when he said I knew what was bothering him.

And it wasn't an understatement when he said everything. There was the curse, losing control, and his self-hatred. And all of that topped on his already damaged self, wasn't a good mix. And he could tell me to get lost all he wanted to, but I knew that he wanted to talk about what was troubling him.

He always did, but never wanted to admit it. "Listen, you can't afford to check out now. Star is running around somewhere in Wardington, and he wants your head on a silver platter. You need to stay alert and on guard."

Shun looked at me and asked, "And how is that going to help me with the problems I have now?" That was the thing. It wasn't going to.

"Well….I don't know," I said honestly. "Just thought you needed to know that. Staying on your toes might ensure that Star doesn't get a hold of you though. So, being drunk all the time might as well be like asking that 16th century maniac to cut you in half like a stick of butter."

I wasn't going to lie, Shun was a skilled hunter, but not when he was drunk to no end. And I didn't want to witness my master die by the hands of that pompous Star because he was intoxicated. Shun shrugged his shoulders and told me, "Maybe I _want _Star to kill me. Did you ever think about that?"

I was sure a vein did pop after he said that. "That's the alcohol talking. I'll throw you in an AA program if I have to and if it means getting you to think straight," I told him. I was serious about the program too. But I knew good and well that he didn't want Star to kill him.

He was too stubborn to let somebody like that hunter end his life. In fact, Shun didn't want to die at all. He had admitted that me a long time ago, even though he knew it was inevitable. When he didn't say anything, I sighed.

"Okay, maybe the program can't help you, but you can try and take a few matters into your own hands. Like, controlling your powers. Don't even worry about your curse right now, or that Alice girl. Just focus on one thing at a time." Shun laid down on his back and looked up at the ceiling.

"How do you suggest I control my powers? I thought I've been doing that my whole life, but I come to find out that I haven't. And right now, seeing as how much time I have left, I don't see much point in it," he said and shut his eyes.

Even I could see that this wasn't the alcohol talking. This was him. "Is that really how you see it?" I asked, trying to make some sense out of this. He nodded. According to his logic, just because he didn't have that much time left, it meant that he had no reason to try and control his demonic powers.

I gritted my teeth and snapped at him, "You're full of crap!" Shun sat up and looked at me, surprised by my choice of words. I continued my rant. "Saying that you see no point in gaining control of your powers because you're close to death, doesn't mean a thing! How is saying that any different from when you started hunting Akuma? You knew how long you'd have left if you hunted them, but you went ahead with it regardless of that! This is no different! All you are is scared of yourself! That's why you don't want to try and do anything about it!"

My master was nothing short of purely shocked by my outburst. I sat back down on the armrest, panting as I tried to get my breath back. "That felt good," I said to myself, relieved that I got all that built up frustration out of my system.

Shun lowered his head, his hair hiding his eyes from me. "You're right," he said softly, but loud enough that I was just able to hear him. I had never thought in a million years that I would hear him say that to me. I had to check to see if I was dreaming it or not.

Shun, my master, told me that I was right. He lifted his head slightly, and I was able to see his eyes again. "I am scared of myself, and I don't want to do anything about it because of that," he said in a shaky voice. He stood up from his bed, stumbling a little.

It was clear he was still under the drink's influence, but at least he was sober enough to comprehend what we were talking about. Because his realization wasn't thanks to the alcohol. That was all him. He walked over to the door and opened it.

I quickly jumped in front of him and asked, "Where in the world do you think you're going now?" He leaned against the doorframe and said, "I'm taking your advice and going to get control over myself. And what better time to start than the present? Seeing as I might not be here tomorrow."

He walked past me and down the stairs. I was surprised that he had enough coordination to do that. "Wouldn't it be better to do this when you're sober?" I asked while chasing after him down the stairs.

_Dan_

After that run-in with that strangle-dressed guy that I somehow recognized, I caught up with the others and continued with our search for something to eat. Or more importantly, something for _me_ to eat. We found a fast food place, and went inside.

Murucho didn't mind the choice. He learned last time that he took us out to eat, it was to some fancy place and I ended up ordering more food than I could handle and got sick. On top of the huge bill he got stuck with. So, dollar hamburgers were a welcomed thing for him now.

I ate my fill of burgers and fries, and the others got something to eat as well. Not as much as me though. Heck, I missed breakfast _and _lunch thanks to whatever happened last night. The weird feeling returned. I got it every time I tried to remember what happened, and it bugged me to no end.

I wiped my mouth and took my tray to the garbage can, making sure not to trip over the kids that were running around. I joined the others at the door. Runo smiled and asked, "Feel better now that you got something to eat?"

I smiled and nodded, trying to keep my confusion on the inside so that they wouldn't worry about me. Alice had just gotten out of her weird spell, and I didn't want them to think that I was falling into one as well. We walked out of the fast food restaurant, and the others began heading down the sidewalk.

I was about to, when I caught the glimpse of some familiar, jet black hair. _Shun._ I ran in the opposite direction from where Runo and the others were going so I could catch up with my friend. Pushing through the crowd, I finally saw him and grabbed the collar of his shirt, then pulled him into an alley that was next to us.

I pushed him against the wall and said harshly, "Ok, I know something happened last night. Now, spill it!" I wasn't angry at Shun, and I didn't mean to sound like it. I was actually happy to see my old friend again. But I was so aggravated with not being able to recall what happened after I left the hotel to catch up with him.

I caught scent of something and asked him, "Have you been drinking?" He waved his hand and said, "Yeah, filthy habit. But I'm trying to quit." I wasn't against him to drink, he was old enough after all, and I wasn't his mom or something like that.

_But there is this thing called moderation. _I shook my head and went back on topic. "Whatever. Now, tell me what happened last night. And don't play stupid with me."

_Kuda_

I was panicking. Shun's friend, who had been possessed by an Oni last night, had cornered my master and was asking him questions. Normally, I wouldn't be so worried about this, but Shun was still drunk. He could easily slip up and spill everything without meaning to.

And his friend would do one of two things. He would either play it off as 'Shun is drunk and I shouldn't believe what he's saying' or believe him. The brunette asked his question again. "Shun, what happened? I know I wasn't dreaming. I saw you walking down the street late last night and followed you to see what the hell you were doing. Now, tell me!"

I could see that the brunette was aggravated. Shun and I had hoped that his friend would wake up and think it was all a dream, but apparently the boy was smarter than we took for granted. Shun gave the brunette a blank stare and said, "I have no clue what you are talking about, Dan. This is the first time I've seen you since we beat Wiseman. Whatever you think happened last night, was a dream."

I was surprised by how believable Shun sounded. Even I was thinking that the brunette hadn't been possessed by the Oni, and I was there to witness it.

"B-but. I know I saw you and followed after you from the hotel!….I just don't remember what happened after that. It wasn't a dream though!…It was too real," he friend stuttered.

Shun put a hand on his friend's shoulder and said, "It may have seemed real, but I'm telling you it was a dream. Now, if you don't mind, I have to get going. It was good to see you again, Dan." Shun walked out of the alley, leaving the brunette behind.

I told him, "You handled that better than I expected." Shun smiled and waved his hand. "Have more faith in me, Kuda." But through his smile and humor, I knew he didn't like what he did. He didn't like the fact that he had to lie and leave behind one of his friends again.

_Alice_

We had gone three blocks when we realized that Dan wasn't with us. Runo crossed her arms and said, "I knew it was too quiet." The four of us were trying to look over people in hopes that we would find our goggle-headed friend.

Julie pouted her lip and said, "I wonder where he could have gone." Murucho was trying to call Dan's phone, but wasn't getting any luck with an answer. "Knowing him, he probably got distracted by food," said Runo with a scowl.

I rolled my eyes and said, "You know you're worried about him." She blushed and turned her face away from me. I smiled and heard Julie shout, "There he is!" We looked around and found him walking towards us through the crowd of people.

The four of us ran towards him. Runo hit him in the arm and said, "You idiot! Where did you go!…..Hey, what's wrong?" Dan didn't look like our normal, happy Dan. He looked kind of depressed. He shook his head and told us grimly, "Nothing. I just ran into somebody that I thought I knew."

* * *

baaaack! sorry for not uploading over the weekend. i cant upload cause my dad's girlfriend comes over and stays saturday, and she talks me to me. and everyone knows that i can't write if somebody is talking to me. -.- and sunday was father's day. self explanatory. also, **there is a tie in the poll on my profile!** this poll is **very **important (it **concerns a title for my sequel to my zombie fic**) and if i have a tie, then i won't know what people want the title to be. i'm leaving this up to you guys! also, check out my profile and go to my photobucket link to see the look-a-likes for the story! read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	16. Bleed

_Shun_

I growled in aggravation. Kuda and I had spent hours up on the roof of an abandoned warehouse trying to work on getting control of my powers. It might have been helping, if I could just activate them. I sat down on the roof and sighed. "It's no use. We've been up here all night, and not so much as even a single flame." I didn't understand.

Why couldn't I unleash my demonic powers like I had when I was younger, or when I attacked Star? Kuda rested on my shoulders and said, "I'm sure it's going to take longer than one night to get control over them." I laid back on the roof and sighed.

I was tired and ready to go home, but I still wanted to at least show that I had made some progress. Kuda left my shoulder and looked around. He had the assignment of looking out for Star, since I was on the psychopath's kill list. "Any sign of him?" I asked, not taking my gaze from the starlit, night sky.

"Not that I can see," the Kanko told me from the other side of the roof. Another sigh escaped me, and I finally tore my intentions away from training. I was done for the day. _The day, _I thought to myself. While walking around Wardington, I ran into Dan.

Or, more like he ran into me. He knew what happened the other night hadn't been a dream, and that was the one thing Kuda and I were hoping wouldn't happen. In order to save myself, I had no other choice but to lie to him and get out of harm's way before I slipped up.

Telling Dan that he had been possessed by an Oni, wasn't a good idea. In the end, one of us would have been labeled insane. Don't get me wrong, I was tired of holding in all of these secrets. It couldn't be healthy to hide so much inside.

Sometimes it was good to reside in somebody, but I doubted that my situation counted. My problem was a lot different than what a lot of people kept holed up inside themselves. I sat up, brushing the dirt from the roof out of my hair with my fingers, and called Kuda over to me.

"Yes, Master?" he asked. I stood up and said, "I'm ready to call it quits tonight. It's late, and I'm sure Star is running around somewhere in the city." For all I knew, Star could have been on my trail right then and there. Kuda nodded and told me, "I understand. There's always-"

He stopped mid-sentence, his ear pricked up as high as they could go. "There's something close by," he said and started to look around. I scanned the area as well, but saw nothing. No sign of an Akuma, or Star. "I think you need to get your radar checked, Kuda."

If something demonic was close to us, I would have been able to pick up on it as well, but I didn't sense anything. Kuda shook his head. "I know that I picked up on something. I might be getting old, but I'm not losing my touch." I walked to the edge of the roof and looked down at the alley.

There wasn't even anything hiding down there. I told Kuda, "If this is a joke, then I'm not amused." Kuda joined my side and said, "I'm not jok- Watch out!" Before I had the chance to turn around, I felt cold steel slice into my back.

_Star_

I had Teru locked on that Akuma's trail. According to her, he was close by. Oh how badly I wanted to get back at him after he made a fool of me last night. It was bad enough that the Oni, which nearly killed me back in Bay City, got away, but then I had some weakling Akuma get a hit in on me.

"We're about to arrive at our target," my Kanko said. I smiled and jumped to the next rooftop. "Good," I said with a grin. Teru made things so much easier. "Here we are," she told me. I was looking down at the Akuma. He was on a lower roof with his Kanko, completely unaware that I was there.

I saw his Kanko's ears prick up. The creature had sensed my arrival. I whispered to Teru, "Hide us." She nodded and murmured a holy incantation, shielding us from the sight of the Akuma and his little pet. I found it sad that his Kanko was on no other use to him, other than locating Akuma. _Such a waste. _

I propped my foot up on the ledge, then rested my elbow on my knee. "His Kanko there is a perfect example of why his master's kind is nothing more than a disease," I said to my partner. Teru remained silent. I pulled the saber out of its holster and stared at the holy engravings etched into the metal.

They were works of art. _This Akuma should feel privileged that he will die by such a fine blade, _I mused to myself. I turned to Teru and told her, "When I get down there, remove the spell. I won't be needing it anymore after that." She nodded and said, "As you wish, Master Star."

I leaped from the roof and landed on the one that the Akuma was at. Neither he, or his Kanko, knew I was there thanks to Teru's spell. I was invisible to all of their senses; hearing, sight, smell, and so forth. I waved my hand, giving the signal to Teru to cut the spell.

I wanted this Akuma to see who it was that was about to end his life. The Kanko was the first to notice me. He yelled to his master, but I had already cut into the Akuma's back. He cried out in pain, nearly falling off the roof's ledge.

When he turned around and saw who it was that hurt him, his eyes widened with fear. I smiled. "Surprise. You're not getting away from me this time." The Akuma was clutching the gash in his back. Already, his blood was soaking his shirt and the ground beneath him.

His pipe fox shouted, "Run!" The two jumped from the roof, landing in the alley, and took off. I tapped the dull side of my saber on my shoulder. "I do like a good chase once in a while." I jumped down into the alley and took off after them.

Since he was injured, the Akuma wouldn't be getting very far before fatigue settled in. I could see it now as the blessing on my saber burned around the wound I inflicted upon his back. In the darkness, I could just make out his silhouette, but it wouldn't matter if I lost sight of him.

I would just have Teru to hunt him down again. My target ran past somebody in the alley, and I came to a halt when I saw it was another Akuma. This one had shed its human form, and was standing over a dead body. It growled at me, angry that I had disturbed its feeding.

As it got closer, I had no choice but to tear my attention away from my target. The new Akuma charged at me, bloody teeth bared and all. I raised my saber and cut through him. Its body landed on the ground behind me, and I heard its last breaths leave its rotten lungs.

Then, it vanished into nothing. During that time, my target had left my sight. "Teru, where's the other Akuma?" She closed her eyes and said, "Halfway to the other side of the city, but I don't think you'll be able to catch up with him. It's almost daylight."

I growled. Hunter's didn't hunt during the day since the Akuma went into hiding. "Are you sure I can't catch up with him?" I asked, not believing that I had lost him again. Teru nodded. And with that, I hit my fist against the brick wall of the alley. "Another time then," I said and turned around.

_Alice_

Dan didn't even eat dinner when we got back to the hotel that night. He just sat at the table, arms folded across his chest, and looked lost deep within his thoughts. I couldn't believe that a case of mistaken identity had gotten to him so badly. _"I just ran into somebody I thought I knew." _

Those were the words he told us when we found him after being separated. Ever since then, Dan had been out of it. All of us tried to get more out of him, but he wouldn't answer us. He stood up from the table and said, "I'm going to my room if any of you need me."

We knew that there was no point in trying to coax him into staying with us for the rest of dinner. Runo said softly, "I'm worried about him. This isn't like Dan at all." I was sure that was the same thought that was running through everyone's mind.

Later that night, I was the last to go up to my room. Just when things seemed to be getting back to normal for me, Dan turns and starts acting strange. I couldn't help but wonder who was next. In my room, I grabbed the ice bucket and went down the hall to fill it up.

After the machine finished making its loud noises and finally decided to give me some ice, I hurried back to my room. But I didn't feel like staying up for another hour or so before I got tired, so I grabbed my room key and went up one floor. On the fourth floor, the one above mine, was a large balcony that guests were welcome to.

It wasn't much, but it provided me with some fresh air. I took a moment and looked at the plants before I went over to the edge of the balcony. There were so many, with so many colors and smells. At the edge of the balcony, I took in a deep breath.

The night air was cool as autumn slowly turned into winter. I looked down at the street below, expecting to see a late night driver go by. Instead, I saw somebody run out of the alley and collapse on the sidewalk. Being four stories up, I was unable to tell anything about the person.

All I knew, was that they might need help. I ran out of the balcony and took the stairs; there was no time to wait for the elevator. When I left out of the empty lobby, I ran to the person. Halfway across the street, I stopped. Thanks to a nearby streetlight, I was able to see who it was. It was Shun.

_Kuda_

We kept running long after we lost Star. From what I could gather, Star had gotten stopped by that Akuma back in the alley, but neither one of us wanted to hang around to find out if that was true. Shun was tiring out quickly, and I wondered if he had it in him to get back to the apartment.

Wherever the apartment was. I couldn't tell anything about where I was from the alley. Shun had gone from a sprint, to nothing more than a fast-paced walk. "We have to keep running," I said to him in the most urgent tone that I could.

But we both knew that he was about to give out. And he did when we reached a street. He collapsed, and began to try my best to wake him back up before somebody saw him. "Master, get up! We have to get back to the apartment."

I looked and saw that I had gotten some of his blood on my paws. The wound on his back hadn't stopped bleeding since Star attacked him. I heard the sound of somebody running, and looked up to see that Alice was standing in the middle of the street.

She was staring with wide eyes at Shun. My eyes then caught sight of the cross necklace. _If she gets near him…_ She snapped from her trance and ran over to his side. "Shun!" I got out of harm's way before the blessing on the cross knocked me away.

She knelt beside Shun, and he started to scream. He had no way of getting away from the cross, and I wasn't able to get near her in order to take it off. I covered my ears with my paws. This was sheer madness. I was unable to help my master.

Alice was trying to look at the wound on Shun's back, but he was writhing in pain thanks to that necklace she had on. Shun's screams only got louder the longer she was near him. The girl looked about as helpless as I was. I then got an idea, but it was a long shot.

I flew above the buildings and tried to lock onto Teru's energy signature. She wasn't that far from us, and I took off as quickly as I could. If I could convince her to come with me and take the necklace off of Alice, that would be wonderful.

She would be able to get near without being hurt, and on top of that, Alice couldn't see her. I found her at the old lake, tapping the water with her paw. "Teru!" I shouted. She looked up. "What in the world are you doing around here?" she asked in a hushed voice. My heart was racing now. "You have to help Shun. Please, Teru."

_Kuda_

The Kanko left the water's edge and asked, "Why? What's going on?" I knew that she wouldn't like the idea of helping the Akuma that Star was after, but I hoped that she would do me this one favor. I told her, "One of his friends found him, and they have on a blessed cross.

He can't get away from her, and I can't get near her without being thrown to the side. Can you please come with me and get the necklace off of her? Please, Teru." The black Kanko thought for a moment before answering. "Alright. Where is he?"

At that moment, I was so grateful to the Kanko. "Follow me." I led her back to where I had left Shun. On the way, I asked, "Where is Star this time? Should I expect to see him pop up when we get there?" Teru shook her head. "No. He's back at his 'hideout' since it's close to dawn. I just don't like being around him when he's pissy."

We arrived back at where I left Shun at. He was still screaming in pain, and Alice had still not left his side. _If only she knew that she was why he's in so much pain, _I said to myself. Teru got behind the girl, and without so much as being noticed, unhooked the chain, got it off, and placed the cross far into an alley so it would be out of working range.

Teru came back to me and said, "You better not mention that I helped an Akuma. Ever." I promised her that I wouldn't, and she went back towards the direction of the lake. I flew down by my master's side. He had stopped screaming now that the cross was gone.

Tears were still streaking down his cheeks. I could only imagine how much pain he had to have been in while being so close to that cross. Alice, who seemed to be a little more relaxed now that Shun had calmed down, ran a shaky hand through her hair.

"Oh, what do I do? I left my phone up in the room, but I have to call an ambulance for him. Oh, calm down and think, Alice." She was about to get up and run to get some help, but Shun reached up and grabbed her wrist. "Don't call an ambulance," he said hoarsely.

The last thing he needed was that. The moment he started to heal, the doctors would be dumfounded by how quickly he recovered. Alice stared down at him as if he were insane. "Shun! You're bleeding! You need help!" she told him. My master struggled to sit up.

When he finally did, he said weakly, "Just get me back to my apartment. I promise you I'll be fine." Alice didn't seem like she was about to do as he asked, but she sighed and helped Shun to his feet. "If you say so," she said unsurely. "You have to tell me where your apartment is though." Shun nodded and started giving her directions.

* * *

yes. i went there. not sure where there is, but i went there. lol. again, there is a tie in the poll on my profile. please vote so i know which title is wanted for my zombie fic. also, check out the link to photobucket to see the look-a-likes for Star, Kuda, Dante, and Wrath. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	17. Standing By

_Alice_

I finally got Shun back to his apartment right at sunrise. All during the walk there, I had to make sure he stayed conscious long enough so he would be able to give me directions. "The apartment at the end of the hall….That one's mine," he said breathlessly.

When I tried to turn the knob on the door, I realized it was locked. "Do you have a key?" He nodded and pointed down at the welcome mat. _Of course. _The spare key was always under a mat. I retrieved the key, unlocking the door, and helping Shun inside.

From there, I helped him to his bed, making sure that he laid on his front side, rather than his injured back. He let out a sigh. "Thanks," he said softly. My legs were tired from walking all this way, and I stumbled back and sat on a loveseat.

I stared at Shun's wounded back. It was still bleeding, and looked insanely painful. What was he doing that could have gotten him hurt like this? I ran a hand through my hair. I must have been crazy for taking Shun back to his apartment, rather than going to a hospital, which was what he needed so desperately.

I asked, "Is there anything I can do?" He turned his head to face me and said, "No. I'm fine." I looked back at his injury. _You call that fine?_ I stood up from the loveseat and said, "At least let me bandage up the wound instead of letting it sit out in the open like that."

He sighed. I wanted to do something to help, regardless if he wanted me to or not. "Fine," he said and turned his head away. I searched around the apartment and found a bottle of rubbing alcohol, paper towels, a pair of scissors, and Scotch tape.

It wasn't medical quality, but it would have to do. I set the stuff on the nightstand next to Shun's bed, then looked at the work I had ahead of me. There was no way I would be able to access his wound as long as his shirt was in the way. I looked and saw that Shun was now sound asleep.

Seeing this opportunity, I took the scissors and cut the shirt away. _Hope he doesn't get mad at me for ruining one of his shirts, _I thought to myself as I cut through the fabric. Now, the wound was completely exposed. A wide, straight gash ran from his left shoulder and down to his lower back, and I wondered why on Earth he insisted not getting medical help for this.

A wound like that could end up killing him if it wasn't treated appropriately. I sighed and poured some of the rubbing alcohol onto a paper towel. _This is going to sting a little bit, _I told him silently in my head. I placed the alcohol-soaked paper towel on the wound, and watched as Shun woke up and winced in pain.

"I thought you were just bandaging it up," he said through gritted teeth. I wiped away the blood from around the wound and told him, "It still needs to be disinfected." He winced again. Once I was done with that, I took more of the paper towels and folded them, placing them along the gash in his back.

Then, I took the Scotch tape and secured the makeshift bandages down. "There," I said. "All done." Shun had already gone back to sleep sometime after I finished with the rubbing alcohol. There was no doubt that he was exhausted.

I glanced down at myself, and saw that my clothes were covered with his blood. There was no way I could walk back to the hotel looking like this. People would look and wonder if I was hurt, or if I had just killed somebody. Besides, I wasn't about to leave Shun yet.

If something went wrong, I wanted to be nearby to call for help. I sat back down on the loveseat and let out a heavy sigh. I was tired. Thanks to the unexpected events that happened last night, I didn't get the chance to get any sleep.

Now, it was morning, and my brain was feeling foggy from fatigue. Dan and the others weren't even a thought in my mind. All I was focused on, was getting some much needed sleep. I stretched out on the loveseat, and closed my eyes.

_Shun_

My back was still burning with pain when I woke up. I wasn't sure if it was from the wound, or the stuff that Alice put on it to 'disinfect' my injury. Either way, they hurt equally. I turned my head to the side and saw Alice was sound asleep on the loveseat, and that Kuda was curled up next to me.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered to him. He looked up at me and said with a hint of spite, "She's in my spot." I chuckled and saw through the window that it was nighttime. To much of my surprise, I had slept through the entire day, not even waking up once during that time.

I tried to roll onto my side, but was hit with a sharp pain instead. I buried my face into my pillow to keep from crying out. When the pain subsided, I asked Kuda, "Why haven't I healed yet?" It never took me this long to recover from an injury.

I had injuries that were a thousand times worse than this one, and they healed within a day. Kuda rubbed his sleepy eyes and said, "Star's saber has a blessing on it, remember? It will take you a little longer to heal cause of that."

The Kanko laid his head down and tried to go back to sleep. But he only rolled over onto his back and growled. "I can't sleep here. Could you maybe wake her up and tell her to sleep somewhere other than my spot?" I cut him a look and said, "I'm sure she'd love to be woken up because my invisible Kanko wants his spot back. Just deal with it for a little while longer. She can't stay here for a very long time."

Kuda folded his ears back and shut his eyes. I glanced back over at Alice. She was laying on the loveseat, covered up by a blanket and sound asleep. I was surprised that she had listened to me when I told her to take me back to my apartment.

I was certain she would have ignored my request and taken me to the hospital instead. A thought ran across my mind. I could put an end to my curse right then and there by killing her. Nobody would know, but I wasn't about to do that.

I wasn't going to kill her, even if it meant breaking my curse. Not only did I not want to, but I doubted that I had it in me to bring myself to kill her. Another thought ran through my mind. I asked Kuda, "Hey, what happened to her cross?"

I recalled something about it when I collapsed back in the street, but I had blacked-out from pain during that at some point. "I chased down a friend and she got it off," he said with his eyes still closed. I remembered how painful being near that cross was, and I hoped that I wouldn't have to deal with it again.

But I did owe Kuda's friend for helping me out. Whoever they were. I felt myself getting tired again, and knew I wouldn't be awake for much longer. The blessing that was from Star's saber, was not only delaying my recovery, but also draining my energy.

I had to see myself lucky that he didn't inflict a more serious wound on me, or else I might have died by now. But I knew the moment that I healed, and if Alice was still around, she would have questions. And I would have no choice but to answer them. There was no way around it. Even a believable lie couldn't cover this up.

_Alice_

Bright light hit right in my eyes. I lifted my arm up to shield my vision, and saw that sunlight was filtering in through the window and hitting right in my eyes. _Millions of miles away, and it has perfect aim, _I said to myself. I sat up and rubbed my eyes and the back of my neck. I didn't feel the chain that I held my cross, and I felt at my collarbone for the object. It wasn't there anymore.

_Oh no. Don't tell me I lost it._ The blanket that I had covered up with, fell on the floor. When I leaned over to pick it up, I remembered that I was still at Shun's apartment. I picked the blanket up and looked around. I had been too tired yesterday to observe my surroundings.

There wasn't much to the place; there was the loveseat, Shun's bed, a couple of dressers, and the kitchen. Mainly just necessities. Although, the place could have used a vacuuming. I folded the blanket and put it back in the closet where I had gotten it from.

When I turned around, I bumped into a cabinet. The door was slightly open, and I looked inside to see bottles of liquor. _Shun drinks? _He never really came off to me as the kind that drank. I shut the cabinet door and continued to walk around the apartment. I came across a picture of the Brawlers from several years ago. _Has it really been that long ago?_

We all looked so young. But it was Shun that stood out the most in the picture. He looked a million times healthier then than he did now. Even if the world hadn't been good to him, he still shouldn't have looked as sickly as he did. I left the picture and decided to check on Shun's wound while he was still asleep.

I pulled the blanket down, exposing his injured back. Carefully, I pulled off the makeshift bandages; they were almost completely soaked through with blood. When I got them off, I felt my eyes widen. The bloody gash was gone. All that was in its place was a fine white line that was a scar.

Unable to believe what I was seeing, I gently touched the place where the wound had been. Sure enough, the skin was completely healed, and it wasn't my mind playing tricks on me. _But how could he have healed so quickly?_ I traced my fingers along the scar, still unable to come up with a logical explanation.

His skin was cold to the touch, almost deathly cold. Shun moved and I saw his eyes open. He looked up at me and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you wearing my clothes?" I looked down at myself and felt my face heat up with embarrassment.

"Uh, my clothes. They were covered in your blood and I couldn't find a washing machine in here." My face only heated up more. Shun sat up and said, "Hey, no need to get worked up about it. I was just asking. There's a Laundromat downstairs if you need to wash them."

I couldn't believe this. The other night, I was sure that Shun was going to die from his injury. Now, it was gone and he was acting as if nothing happened. He sighed and said, "I'm sure you've got some questions." I nodded and sat on the loveseat, then jumped up when it felt like I sat on something other than the cushion.

_What in the world is going on here?_ Maybe I had been wrong about things going back to normal. Because right then, it felt like nothing had changed from how things had been a few days ago.

* * *

-slams head on table with each word i'm about to say- there. is. a. tie. in. the. polls. -passes out from brain damage- please vote so we can break this tie. October is coming up and i don't feel like doing a coin flip to see which title to use. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	18. Normal?

_Shun_

Alice fainted after I finished telling her the truth. I quickly knelt down beside her and tried to wake her. Behind me, Kuda was still ranting. "Serves her right for sitting on me! This is why you should have told her that the loveseat was off limits! Boundaries! We need to set boundaries!"

He wasn't taking Alice sitting on him very kindly. "Kuda! Shut up!" I snapped at him while still trying to wake Alice. Her fainting was better than the reaction that I thought she would have had. Alice suddenly sat up, bumping her head on mine.

"Ow!" I sat back and rubbed my forehead. Alice was doing the same to herself. She stopped and turned somewhat pink in the face. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Shun!" Kuda let out a huff of air and said, "It's going to take a lot more than that to get through his stubborn skull."

I was very much happy that Alice didn't know he was there. I chuckled and told her, "It's alright." I stood up from the floor and held my hand out to her in case she needed help. Alice took my hand, I pulled her up to her feet. "Sorry for, uh, fainting. I didn't mean to. It's just, a lot of weird things have been happening lately. I guess this tipped the scales for me."

She was about to sit back down on the loveseat, and luckily, Kuda hadn't taken his spot back. As far as I knew, he was still off ranting somewhere. I sat on the edge of my bed and sighed. Alice then said silently to herself, "Looks like all of those people with the black eyes were demons after all."

She then looked up and said, "So, if you're a demon, Akuma or whatever, how come your eyes aren't black like the others that I've seen?" I was surprised that she had seen any prior to me. Well, not really surprised. I was sure she had seen the strange black eyes, but I didn't know that she would have an idea of what those people were.

I told her, "I'm a little different from them, but not by much. Unlike them, I have a human soul. I'm sure you've heard the saying that the eyes are the gateway into the soul? Well, that's kind of why mine look normal compared to the others."

It was the simplest explanation I could give her without overwhelming her. The last thing I needed was for her to faint again. It didn't help that I had blurted out to her what I was, but I hadn't ever really told anyone else about my secret. So, I didn't know any better.

And Kuda wasn't around to coach me through it. _Like he would have._ Knowing him, he would have been giving me every reason as to why I shouldn't be telling Alice any of this. But right now, he was still worked up over being sat on.

I smiled to myself, but it faded when Alice asked another question. "Does Dan or any of the others know about what you are, or am I the only one?" I nodded and told her, "You're the only one, and even you're not supposed to know. The only reason I told you was because I knew that you'd want an explanation as to how I healed so quickly, and there was nothing else I'd be able to tell you except the truth."

She may have been asking all these questions, but I still didn't know if she truly believed me. On the outside, it may have looked like that. But on the inside, she could have been screaming that I was insane. I narrowed my eyes at her and said, "Ok, now it's time I ask you a question."

Alice seemed a little bit confused. She probably thought that this would mainly just be her asking questions, not me. "Uh, sure, Shun. What is it?" I didn't know what kind of answer I would get, but I wouldn't know unless I asked. "Do you believe me?"

Alice stared at me for a moment, and I braced myself for her answer. I was expecting to here 'no' or something like that, but I was surprised by what she said. "I don't see why you would have any reason to make something like this up. So, as crazy as it sounds, yeah. I do believe you, Shun."

I let out a sigh of relief. She didn't think I was a loon that needed psychiatric help. It felt good to finally tell somebody what I had been keeping hidden inside for so long. It was almost like a little bit of weight had been taken off of my shoulders.

I told her, "You have no idea how nice it is to have somebody else know about me." But she didn't know everything about me. All I told her was that I wasn't a human, and what I was. I didn't go into my past, our curse, or that I hunted Akuma.

She was still in the dark on so many things. Alice smiled and said, "I bet. So, this is our little secret for now? I shouldn't tell anyone else?" I nodded. I didn't feel like the others were ready to know. They weren't as rational as Alice, and the only one who was, was Murucho.

But even he would have a hard time believing my story. He was just too logical. "Yeah. It's our secret for the time being." She placed her finger over her lips, as if to say that they were sealed. I chuckled. Alice then said, "Although, I do think it would be interesting to see how the others would react…..Oh, no! The others!"

She jumped up from the loveseat and said, "I never told them that I left the hotel! Do you have a phone that I can use to call them? I promise I won't say where I'm at. I just want to let them know that I'm ok." I got up from my bed and went over to a jar filled with pocket change.

I took out the exact change needed and placed it in her hand. "I don't have a cellphone any more, but there's a payphone downstairs that you can use." She thanked me and ran out of the apartment. Kuda then appeared by my side and said, "I can't believe you told her that you're an Akuma. This can't end well, I just know it."

I cut him a look and said, "If you keep talking like that, then I'll just get her to sit on you again." I grinned. Kuda flew right up at my face and shouted, "Don't even joke about that!" I couldn't help but laugh. Alice then walked back into the apartment. I asked, "Did you get a hold of them?"

She nodded. "They didn't even know I was gone," she said with a hint of disbelief. "They thought I was still up in my room and refused to come out." That was surprising, but it wasn't unbelievable. She shrugged and said, "I guess they're still too focused on Dan. He hasn't been acting like himself lately. Oh, well."

I couldn't help but think that Dan being out of character was because of me. He came to me, asking questions about what happened a couple of nights ago, and I dodged around the questions by telling him lies. Alice saw that I was lost in thought and said, "Don't worry about him. He's most likely worked up over something minor and will be back to normal in no time. But there is something I want to ask you about him."

I wasn't so sure about her prediction of Dan being back to himself soon, and I knew he wasn't acting like this because of something minor. But I didn't mention either of those things to her. "What do you want to ask?" She sat back down on the loveseat, and I knew Kuda was tensed up next to me.

I walked over beside her and leaned against the wall. She turned around and asked, "How come you never told Dan? He's your best friend. I thought at least he would know." I folded my arms over my chest. I never really gave that much thought, but now that Alice brought up why I kept my secret from Dan, I knew.

"Dan was the only real friend I had when I was a kid. I guess I was scared to know what would happen if I told him I was a demon. So, I just kept it to myself because I didn't want to lose my only friend." Maybe back then, he wouldn't have cared that I wasn't normal like he thought I was.

But now, I would have to deal with the fact that I had kept such an important piece of information a secret for so long. Alice nodded. "I can understand that. I was just curious." She looked down at herself. "Uh, didn't you say there was a Laundromat downstairs?" she asked.

Alice's clothes had gotten covered in my blood from when she helped me back to the apartment, so she borrowed some of my clothes since she could find a washing machine. "Yeah. Here, I'll give you some change so you can wash your clothes. But don't leave them unattended," I told her while going back through the change jar.

She asked, "Why shouldn't I leave my clothes unattended?" I handed her the change and said, "Somewhere in the apartments, there's this guy that will take your clothes if your not there when they finish washing. We all had to learn this the hard way." I thought I saw Alice's eye twitch for a moment. She took the money, grabbed her clothes, and said, "Thanks for the tip."

_Alice_

After hearing about the Laundromat thief, I kept my clothes close by. I didn't want to know why this guy took people's clothes, and I wasn't about to become let him turn my belongings into part of his collection. I followed a sign that pointed in the direction of the Laundromat.

I just had to walk past the rent payment office, and around the corner. Simple as that. I was almost to the office, when I saw two familiar faces. One with red hair, one with green, and both with black eyes. _It's them. _

They were the two who jumped me a while back, and I had freaked out when I saw their eyes. But now I knew what they were. They were Akuma, like Shun. But they didn't look too dangerous. _What were their names again? Dante and Wrath?_

The two tiptoed up to the office, and banged on the door. After that, they ran as quickly as they could and ran down another hallway, laughing as they went. The office door then opened, and a woman stepped out, looking very annoyed. She had her graying hair up in curlers, was wearing a sweatshirt and pants, and had a cigarette between two fingers.

"Who was knocking on my door! Was it you?" She turned and looked at me. I shook my head. "No! It wasn't me! I swear! It was these two guys!" She took a hit off of her cigarette. The woman looked old, but I bet she really wasn't. Maybe in her forties or early fifties.

But it was difficult to tell. She raised an eyebrow and looked me over. "Who are you? I don't recall seeing you here in my apartments before." I held my bundle of clothes tightly, hoping she didn't see the bloodstains that covered them. "I'm, uh, here seeing a friend," I told her.

The woman took another hit from the cigarette and blew out the smoke. "Is your friend that black-haired boy upstairs?" she asked gruffly. I said, "Uh, I guess. We're talking about Shun, right?" There could have been somebody else upstairs with black hair.

It wasn't like Shun was the only one with that hair color. The woman tapped the ash off the end of her cigarette and said, "If you see him again, tell him his rent fee is due." She then went back in the rent payment office, and slammed the door. I stood there for a moment, not sure what to think about this. Seeing that it wasn't worth dwelling on, I hurried to the Laundromat.

_Alice_

I got my clothes washed, and none of them were taken by the strange man that lived somewhere in the apartments. I held my freshly cleaned belongings as I walked back up the stairs to Shun's apartment. If there was one thing I enjoyed, it was the warmth of clothes that came right out of the dryer.

I got to his apartment and opened the door. "Back," I said as I closed the door. I found Shun sitting on one end of the loveseat, holding a glass of something in his hand. When I got closer, I realized the liquid was some kind of alcohol. I didn't say anything to him about it.

That was his choice, not mine. "You didn't have any trouble, did you?" he asked before taking a sip of his drink. I assumed he either meant with finding the Laundromat, or that guy that takes clothes. Either way, things had gone smoothly.

"Nope. No trouble. Although, I did run into the lady at the office. She wanted me to tell you that your rent fee was due." Shun chuckled and said, "My rent fee has been 'due' for five years now." He added air quotes for emphasis.

"Five years? How have you not been kicked out yet?" I asked, truly stunned that he had managed this. He shrugged and said, "The rent lady, Selma, she's too lazy to go and collect. All she does is sit in her office and watch some soap opera. But if you run into her in the hall, then she'll ask for the money. For five years, I've just been avoiding her."

Now I understood why she was so angry when Dante and Wrath knocked on the door. She was probably watching her soap opera. Shun finished off the last of his drink and said, "Heck, that's one reason I've stayed here for so long. I can honestly say that my 'job' doesn't pay too well, so free housing is good for me."

He got up and tossed the glass into the kitchen sink. It was strange, how normal things were. I expected them to be different now that I knew Shun wasn't human, but they seemed about the same. He was still pretty much Shun.

Yeah, I had learned a few added things about him, but I was sure that was part of the deal. I remembered I still had my clothes in my arms. "I'm going to go and change so you can have your clothes back," I told him before stepping into the bathroom. I closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a heavy breath. _What have you gotten yourself into now, Alice?_

* * *

again. the poll, people! _**THE POLL! vote please! it's on my profile! there's a tie in it between two titles!**_ just please vote! -gets on hands and knees- i'm begging you! read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	19. It's For The Best

_Shun_

Alice stepped out of the bathroom when she finished changing back into her own clothes. She held my clothes neatly folded in her hands and said, "I'll just set this on your bed." I nodded and decided I would put them up later. She walked over to my bed and set the clothes down.

"You mentioned this 'job' of your's. What is it?" she asked. There wasn't anyway I could keep all of my secrets to myself now that she knew one of them. When I told her that I was an Akuma, I had left out some other major facts; my past, the curse that we shared, and that I hunted them.

When I thought about it, hunting Akuma wasn't the worst out of the three. She would probably be able to handle that, and I didn't see any reason why she wouldn't be able to. "It's not really a job. I'm not getting paid for it. But I hunt Akuma for a living."

And when I said living, I wasn't lying. I lived and died to hunt, literally. "You hunt your own kind?" she asked, looking kind of confused. I nodded and added, "Let's just say that it's in the best of intentions." And my intentions were to get payback on them for what they had done to me.

Alice sat down on the bed, next to my clothes that she had just put there. She asked, "Do other Akuma hunt each other too?" I thought about how the Akuma and Oni came after my family. Necessarily, they were hunting us. But according to them, we weren't true Akuma.

I told her, "They don't like to. The Akuma see each other as brothers, but I'm not in that family. Since I have a soul, I'm not considered an Akuma to them. That's one of the reasons that I'm not too popular among them. Well, that, and I've killed most of their so called brothers."

Alice nodded to show me that she understood. I couldn't help but wonder if she saw me as a murderer, even if what I was killing wasn't human at all. She played with a loose string on the blanket and asked, "Does having a soul give you any advantages, or does it just get in the way?"

I hadn't given that much thought. When I looked at how many times my soul had come up, it had more cons than pros. There was the fact that my family was killed because of it, and that it gave me emotions that had gotten in the way before.

As far as I could tell, there weren't any times that it had benefited me. I told her flatly, "It's nothing more than a burden for me." I thought a saw a glint of sadness if Alice's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Why did she care whether or not my soul mattered to me? If it was up to me, I would have chosen not to have one if I knew how much troubled it would have caused me. But when I thought about it, if I had no soul, I wouldn't have had any feelings towards Alice, or I would care less about the others.

Then, I really wouldn't be any different than the creatures that I hunted. Maybe, it wasn't all that bad, but it still had given me more grief than happiness. Alice asked another question, which snapped me from my thoughts of realization.

"If you hunt Akuma, how come you haven't killed those two downstairs? Dante and Wrath?" I couldn't help but laugh. Alice raised an eyebrow, confused as to what I found so funny.

I told her, "Those two are as harmless as dirt. They're not worth wasting the energy on. So, I just leave them be. Plus, they keep things interesting at times." It wasn't worth giving up more of my life for two idiots that weren't a threat.

"Ok, but why do you hunt? You have to have a reason, right?" I felt my smile vanish. I was hoping she wouldn't tread on that topic, but I was idiot for thinking that.

Of course it was going to come up eventually. If I thought that any of my more personal secrets wouldn't come up in conversation, then I was as foolish as Dante and Wrath. Next to me, I saw Kuda leave the room. He had heard the story a million times, and he didn't like to hear it repeated.

"If it's something you don't want to talk about, then you don't have to, Shun." But I wanted to. It might not have been my most favorite thing to bring up, but I hated to keep it holed up inside. And it felt like the more I told Alice, the more the weight from my shoulders was lifted.

"It's ok, I don't mind," I told her. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened my eyes back up. "The Akuma, as I mentioned before, don't really like me because I have a soul. They say that we aren't truly one of them. Well, the Akuma decided to take action into their own hands. They were led by an Oni, a stronger demon, and they went hunting for Akuma with souls, like me. They ended up killing my entire family right in front of my eyes, only leaving me, my mother, and grandfather alive."

I quickly recomposed myself before I broke down like I usually did. I decided it was best not to mention how I lost control and killed the Oni and other Akuma. I sighed and continued. "After that, I made it my goal to kill as many as I could, as payback for what they did to me."

The curse was also going to have to be left out. I just wasn't ready to break it to her that I was going to die soon if I killed anymore Akuma, or the fact that her death is the only thing that can stop it. I had been looking down at the floor when I told her why I hunted, and when I looked up, Alice wrapped her arms around me in a hug.

I felt my eyes widen, and a blush cross my face. "I'm so sorry to hear about that, Shun," she said, her voice somewhat muffled from where her face was buried in my shoulder. When the initial surprise wore off, I smiled and said, "It's ok." Alice let me go, and I saw her face was slightly red.

"Sorry about that," she said with a nervous laugh. I smiled, and my next actions even surprised me. I grabbed Alice's chin and brought her closer to me, placing a kiss on her lips.

She tensed up for a moment, then fell into the kiss as well. When we broke, our faces were still close enough that our breath mingled around in the air. I told her honestly, "I've wanted to do that for so long."

_Alice_

I was caught off guard when Shun kissed me, but I had quickly caught up with what was happening and returned the favor. He wasn't the only one that had wanted this; I did too. But now that I knew his secret, one question hung around in my mind; was this right?

Was it right to have feelings for somebody like him? A demon? I knew I wouldn't be thinking that if I didn't know. Odds were, that I would be ecstatic, so why was this any different? He was still the same Shun, right?

Actually, he wasn't. The Shun that I knew was human, not an Akuma. Did I really care though? No, I didn't. No matter how I looked at it, Shun was Shun. I hadn't even realized that the two of us had just been standing there, not saying anything.

I was sure that by now it had passed the awkward silence phase. Shun glared at something over at the loveseat. I asked, "What are you looking at?" I tried to find what it was, but saw nothing. This was like back at the lake, when he kept looking off to his side as if somebody was talking to him.

He turned back to me and said, "I would say you'd think I was crazy for saying this, but after everything you've heard today, I doubt it." He was right about that. Shun could have told me that purple cows existed, and I might have believed him at this point.

He told me, "I'm sure you've heard of pipe foxes? Or a Kanko?" I nodded. I wasn't exactly sure what they were, but I had heard the name come up in conversation before. "Well, there's one that lives here with me. Sadly, you can't see or hear him, but you did sit on him earlier."

I suddenly felt guilty. "That's what I sat on?" Shun nodded. If Shun hadn't mentioned that I sat on this 'Kanko' then maybe I might have had a hard time believing him. But I had proof to verify that something was in here. I asked, "How come I can't see him?"

I at least wanted to be able to see the creature so I could apologize to it. Shun shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know why people can't see them. The only person I know that can see Kanko, is Star. And even I don't know why he can."

I stared at the loveseat and asked, "Who's Star?" Shun turned around and pointed to his back. "The guy that gave me my most recent injury. He's an Akuma hunter from Bay City, but for some reason, he's taken a liking to Wardington. Which, isn't good for anyone. Especially me."

This Star guy was the one who nearly cut Shun in half and killed him. Something about this guy, even though I had never seen him, didn't sit right with me. Maybe it was cause he would kill Shun without thinking twice. I caught a glimpse of a digital clock on a dresser and saw the time.

I told Shun, "It'll be getting dark soon. I better get back to the hotel before then." I didn't really want to leave, but I had to. Even though the others didn't notice my absence, they knew of it now. And if I wasn't back by the end of the day, then I was sure they would start to worry.

They already had too much to worry about now with Dan; I didn't want to make things worse. Shun asked me, "Do you know the way back to the hotel from here?" I suddenly felt like I should have had 'idiot' stamped on my forehead. "No, I didn't pay attention when I was helping you get back here."

I had been too busy freaking out over the fact that Shun was hurt. He smiled and said, "It's ok. I know the way there." Shun slipped into a jacket and said, "If you want to get there before dark, then we better get going." I nodded and followed him out of the apartment.

_Shun_

I got Alice back to the hotel without any trouble. Getting around Wardington wasn't a problem for me; I knew where almost everything was. There was still some daylight left when we stopped in front of the stairs of the hotel.

Alice smiled and said, "Thanks for helping me get back here. I'm sure I would have gotten lost if I tried to on my own." I told her it wasn't a problem. She stopped halfway up the stairs and said sadly, "I would say see you around, but me and the others are leaving in a couple of days. Murucho has one more of his presentations tomorrow, and then we're gone."

I nodded. "I understand." If she was gone, then I would be less tempted to give in and break my curse. She would also be out of harm's way. It was for the best, and all I could do was be happy that I told her my secret, and that I got to kiss her.

Alice's frown turned into a smile. She said, "But I'm sure we'll see each other again sometime." I nodded and gave her a smile, then watched her vanish into the hotel. My smile faded. It wouldn't take but a few more kills before I ran out of time.

Sadly, the odds of us seeing each other again, were slim. Kuda told me, "I hope you got all of that out of your system." I probably hadn't, but I got a good bit out of the way. It was almost completely dark when I was halfway back to my apartment. Kuda was keeping an eye out for Star, just in case that psychopath tried to ambush me again.

Ahead of me, I saw two figures running in my direction. They weren't paying attention, and ran right into me, causing all of us to fall on the ground. I pushed one of them off and snapped, "Watch where the hell you're going!" I then saw it was Dante and Wrath.

_Of course. Who else would it be._ I stood up and brushed the dirt off of my clothes. I asked them harshly, "Why the hell are you two in such a damn hurry?" The two helped each other up. Kuda rolled his eyes. Wrath's words were rushed when he spoke.

"We're trying to get out of here before the Teiden!" They tried to run around me, but I grabbed them by their shirt sleeves. "The Teiden? Who the hell is that?" Dante snatched his shirt sleeve out of my grasp and said, "It's not who, but what."

Kuda rested on my shoulder and said, "I know my foreign language is a little rusty, but isn't Teiden Japanese for blackout?" Dante nodded. I let go of Wrath's shirt, and he joined Dante's side. "Ok? What's the big deal with a blackout? Wardington has them all the time," I said with crossed arms.

Wrath shook his head and told me, "Not a blackout of the city, but a blackout of the sun." A black out of the sun? "So, like an eclipse?" I asked. I still didn't see how something as natural as an eclipse would send these two running.

Then again, they weren't that smart. Wrath ran a hand through his green hair and said, "I'm not going to explain how the damn solar system works."

Dante cut him off and said, "What he's trying to say, is that we don't know what's going on. But what we do know is that the Oni are going to use it as a means to take over since holy blessings and all of that are weakened. The hunters will be worthless. Wrath and I are just trying to get the hell out of here before this place turns into a madhouse."

The two ran off after that. I looked up at the sky and said to Kuda, "I think we have some trouble coming our way."

* * *

*le awesome dramatic music plays- bombombombommmmmm! 0.0 i shall leave now. ^^'' there shall be awesomeness soon. i promise this. twists and turns and all that good stuff. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	20. My Old Friend, Death

_Alice_

After I walked into the lobby, I turned around and glanced out of the glass doors. Shun was walking down the street, then vanished as he got further away. I hated that I had to leave soon. There was still so much I wanted to know about Shun, and now I felt like I wouldn't get that chance.

Maybe I wouldn't. I turned away from the glass door, and walked through the lobby. "Alice!" Runo and Julie ran out of the hotel's restaurant and stopped a few feet short of me. "Where did you go?" Runo asked. They hadn't even known that I left the hotel a couple of nights ago. They all assumed that I was locked up in my hotel room and refused to come out.

So, when I called them from the payphone at the apartments, they were surprised to hear that I had been gone for over a day. Dan and Murucho walked up behind the two girls. I had to admit, Dan was looking more like his usual self. He wasn't off in space and lost deep within his thoughts anymore.

I was about to answer Runo's question, but stopped so I could think it over. I couldn't tell them that I was at Shun's place. They would want to know why, and I promised Shun that I wouldn't tell them anything. But what else could I tell them?

I wasn't good at making up lies like this on the spot. "I….Can't tell you guys. I made a promise not to," I told them. _Please understand._ Runo stepped closer to me, worry in her eyes, and asked, "Why can't you tell us? Did somebody threaten you or something?"

I shook my head. "No. Nobody threatened me. I made a promise that I wouldn't tell anybody, and all I'm doing is keeping it. Nothing bad happened. I swear." Behind Runo and through the glass lobby doors, I saw two people running down the street.

When they ran under the streetlight, I was able to tell who they were. But only because of their hair. It was Dante and Wrath again. They ran past the hotel and were gone from my sight. _I wonder what they're running from._

Julie took my hand in hers and said, "If you're sure that everything's fine, Alice, then I believe you." I hated to make them worry, but telling them about Shun would only make things worse for everyone. I smiled. "Thanks for understanding, Julie. Now, I think I'm going to go up to my room. It's been a long day."

I reached into my jacket pocket, and felt a bent piece of plastic. I pulled it out, and saw it was my room key. The rectangular, plastic card was bent beyond use. I then remembered that I had forgotten to take it out when I washed my clothes back at the apartments.

Dan looked at the card and said, "What happened to it?" I laughed nervously and said, "A, um, washing machine." Murucho took the card from my hand and said, "I'll get the clerk to get you a new one. It's no problem."

I thanked the short blonde as he walked up to the front desk. Runo placed her hand on my shoulder and asked, "Are you sure everything's fine, Alice?" I nodded, growing somewhat annoyed by everyone's concern. I knew they were my friends and all that, but I wished that they believe somebody the first time. Murucho came back with a new room key for me.

I smiled and took it back. "Thanks, Murucho. I promise I won't mess this one up." He smiled, then walked off somewhere else. I slipped the new room key into my jacket pocket and then turned to Runo. "Yes, I'm sure that I'm okay," I said, trying to hide the aggravation that I was feeling.

She sighed. "Alright. If you say so, Alice." I broke from the group and made my way to the elevator. Two other people were waiting beside me, and when the elevator dinged, all of us stepped inside. I leaned in one of the corners and focused on the mellow music that was playing on the speakers.

But I caught a piece of the two people's conversation, and was now listening to them. The skinnier one of the two asked, "Do you really think the Teiden is going to happen?" His friend looked at him in disbelief. "You're still doubting what the boss told us?" he asked.

The skinny man shook his head. "No. I'm just skeptical." I wasn't thinking anything of their conversation. It sounded like basic business man talk to me. One of them turned just enough that I saw his eyes. They were solid black.

My heart did a little jump in my chest. They were Akuma. Were they going to do something to me? Shun had told me that not all Akuma were friendly towards people. The elevator stopped, and the skinny one said, "Here's our floor. Best get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day."

His friend nodded and they stepped out of the elevator together. When the door shut, and I let out a breath of air. I placed my hand where my cross had been. _I wish I had it right about now to calm me down._ That cross had given me a sense of security when nothing else did.

But I had lost it somewhere between the hotel and Shun's apartment, so there was no telling where it was at now. For all I knew, somebody on the street could have picked it up by now. The elevator stopped on my floor, and I got out, walked down the hall to my room, and stuck the new room key into the lock.

The light turned green, and I stepped inside. Everything was the same except the beds had been made by the housekeepers. I sat on the edge of my bed and sighed. Something didn't feel right. It was like the feeling people sometimes got before a storm.

I left the bed and pulled the blinds up on my room's window. A full moon hung in the sky, adding extra light to the streets. But even the moon's silver light didn't calm me like it usually did. I left the blinds up so the light could filter into my room. Then, I turned out the lights and laid down on my bed. Hopefully, this ominous feeling would be gone by tomorrow.

_Shun_

Dante and Wrath's words kept haunting my mind. They spoke of this Teiden. At first, I thought it had been a person they had angered and was looking for the two, but I had been wrong. The Teiden, wasn't a person, but a day.

From what I could gather out of the two before they ran off, the sun would go black and the Oni would use this as a means to take over. The whole thing sounded kind of fake to me. Maybe that was because it was coming from Dante and Wrath.

But I couldn't help but feel that they were telling the truth. The two had mentioned that the Oni picked the Teiden because holy blessings and powers would be worthless and weakened. If that was the case, then even Star would be affected by this.

I stepped into the apartment complex, walking past the late night janitor and Selma's office. I saw through the window blinds that she was asleep at her desk. Halfway up the stairs, Kuda sudden stopped following me. "Somebody's up in the apartment," he said.

I hurried up the rest of the steps and down the hall. I was able to see that my apartment door was open slightly. Kuda was keeping up with me and said, "Be careful going in there. You don't know what this guy wants."

Even from the hall, I could pick up on the perputraitors demonic presence. This Akuma had to have some serious gall to break into my home. I burst through my door and stopped dead in my tracks. The Akuma was standing in the middle of the apartment.

He still wore his human disguise, but I knew he probably wouldn't for much longer. He would shed it when he attacked. "What do you think you're doing in here?" I asked, preparing myself to summon my sword for when the monster charged. To anyone other than me, he looked like a normal, elderly person; graying hair, deep eyes, and wrinkles.

But his black eyes gave everything away. I saw he was holding a torn piece of paper in his hand. "What's that?" I asked, not taking my gaze from the monster. He smiled and said, "My boss wanted me to give you this."

He threw the paper, and it floated down to the floor like a leaf. It landed right in front of me, and I felt my heart stop for a moment. It had been an old picture of my grandfather and mother, but it was torn down the middle, and only showed my grandfather.

An 'X' was marked over his face with blood. The Akuma smiled and said, "The old man is up at your old house if you want to see him. But I suggest you hurry." He grinned and jumped through the window, sending shards of glass everywhere. I picked up the picture with a shaky hand.

I would have gone after the Akuma, but I had to get to the old house. Kuda asked, "Do you think you'll make it up there in time?" I crumbled the picture in my hand. "I have to." I turned and bolted out of the apartment.

_Shun_

I ran up the old dirt trail, ignoring my increasing fatigue. Kuda had given up on trying to match my speed, and was holding onto my shoulder instead. _Please still be ok, _I kept saying to myself. An Akuma broke into my apartment with a message for me.

It concerned my grandfather, the last family I had. I made it to the top of the hill and saw him. He was laying next to the ashen remains of the old house, covering in his own blood. "Grandfather!" I shouted and ran to his side, not carrying when I knelt down in the pool of blood around him.

He opened his eyes and looked at me. "Shun?" he asked weakly. I smiled sadly. "Yeah. It's me," I told him. Deep gashes were cut everywhere in his body. Blood was still flooding out of them, and I wondered how much more he had left.

He coughed and said hoarsely, "I came up here because I felt like I needed to pay respects, and I got ambushed…..I didn't think I was that out of practice….Guess I was wrong." He coughed again, and little specks of blood fell on his face. This was like watching my mother die all over again. I didn't care if I was crying. This was the only piece of my family that I had left, and the same demons had taken it away from me again.

My grandfather smiled and said, "Looks like I got my wish." I wasn't sure what he meant by that. Maybe his wish was to die where everyone else did. I knew that would have been mine. His eyes then slowly closed, and I heard the last breath leave his body.

I shut my eyes tightly, but tears still broke thought and ran down my face. I opened them back up, and saw his body was still laying there. Unlike when Akuma died, our bodies stayed behind since we had a soul that could pass on.

At that moment, I wished we didn't. That way, I wouldn't have to look at the old man's dead body. On my shoulder, I noticed that Kuda had a few tears in his eyes. I didn't think that the Kanko had favored my old man that much.

I stood up and was surprised by how weak my legs felt. Kuda slid off of my shoulder and floated over my grandfather. I walked away from the scene and leaned against the trunk of a tree, facing away from the gruesome sight.

I wiped the tears out of my eyes. For some reason, I thought I would have been filled with rage and anger at the ones who did this. But the pain was overpowering all other emotions at that moment. "Um, Master," I heard Kuda say behind me.

"What is it, Kuda?" I asked breathlessly. He told me, "You might want to see this." I reluctantly turned around and saw that he had left my grandfather's side, and was looking out at the city from above the trees. "Climb up," he told me. I nodded and jumped up to the lowest branch, nearly slipping off due to lack of focus.

My mind was still too out of it. I climbed as close to the top of the tree as I could, and moved the smaller branched and leaves out of my way. "I'm here," I told Kuda. I looked and saw he was pointing his paw out towards the horizon.

I followed its direction and saw what I should have been a sunrise. Instead, a black circle was rising from the horizon instead of the sun, keeping the sky dark as night. Kuda said, "I think Dante and Wrath were telling the truth about the Teiden."

* * *

aye. nothing much that's new to report. i went and saw the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter movie. o.o it was pretty awesome, but would have been more awesome if i hadnt read the book, cause then i was sitting there like 'this didnt happen. he didnt do that. where's this person?" i'm sure you've all done that before. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	21. Get Out Alive

_Star_

Dawn should have arrived hours ago, but the sky was still as black as night. Because I knew that sunrise was close, I hurried back to my temporary living accomedations, but it still looked like it should have been late at night. As I walked along the sidewalk, people stepped out of their homes, many of them still wearing their nightclothes, and looked up at the sky.

All of them wondered the same thing; where was the sun? Beside my shoulder, Teru asked, "What do you think the meaning of this is?" I shook my head and told her, "I'm not entirely sure, but I know it most likely has something to do with the Akuma."

From somewhere behind me, a woman let out a blood curdling scream that made me turn around. The people around her were looking up at a roof, and I saw the outline of a creature up there. A news team had been nearby, and one of them got out a massive spotlight.

They pointed it up at the roof, revealing the black, leather skinned demon. It snarled, baring its teething at the people below. People screamed when they saw him. I pulled my saber out and said, "This shouldn't take very long." Teru nodded and followed me as I ran towards the pandemonium.

The Akuma dropped down to the ground below and growled at the gathered people. Why they hadn't run yet, I had no clue. The Akuma swatted the news team's spotlight away, covering himself back with the darkness. But I already knew where he was at, and when he reached out to grab the stunned camera man, I sliced my blade into his arm, severing it from its body.

The arm dropped on the ground, and the Akuma turned to look at me. A wicked smile formed on his face as a new arm regenerated in the old one's place. "Wh-what? It shouldn't have grown back!" I yelled and sliced into the demon again. He only repaired whatever damage I did to him.

It was like my saber was nothing more than a regular blade, and not one with a powerful blessing etched into the metal. This Akuma shouldn't have been able to heal itself so quickly because of the blessing. The Akuma let out a cry and slammed its arm into my side, sending me flying across the street.

When I stopped tumbling along the ground, I quickly forced myself to stand up. The Akuma charged at me again. I yelled at Teru, "Quick! Do something!" She nodded and mumbled the incantation to shield my presence from Akuma.

The monster stopped a few feet short of me, and looked around. I was invisible to him. He sniffed all around me, trying to find the slightest bit of my scent. When he couldn't find anything, he growled and ran off. Teru then started to fall. I caught the Kanko before she hit the ground.

"Teru! What's wrong?" I asked frantically. She opened her eyes and said, "My powers. They're weak for some reason. I wasn't even able to hold the spell for very long either." What was happening? First, the blessing on my saber was worthless.

Now, Teru's powers were weakened. She floated out of my arms and asked, "You think it has something to do with this darkness?" I was sure it did. Everything about this screamed unnatural. My eyes then caught sight of something in the sky.

Where a sun should have been, there was a black circle. _An eclipse?_ No. If it was an eclipse, then there would have been a ring of light around the circle. That, and our holy blessings and powers wouldn't have been failing us. "A blackout," I whispered to myself.

All around me, people were screaming and running down the street, but I stayed there and gazed up at the black sun. The only thing that broke me from my trance, was Teru, who was pulling on the end of my cape. "Master Star! We need to find safety!"

She was right. As of right then, we were at the mercy of the very things that once feared us. Until we could come up with a plan, it wasn't safe for us to be out in the open. As we started to run, I realized that my saber wasn't in its holster.

It would have been pointless to go back for it. The blessing was worthless right now, and it was nothing more than a fancy piece of steel. So, I just kept running, ashamed that I had been reduced to the prey by the creatures that once feared me.

_Shun_

Kuda and I were running back to Wardington. As we got closer, screams got louder and louder. All along the road connecting Wardington to Bay City, cars were bumper to bumper, and people were even running on foot to get away from the city.

One person noticed I was running towards the chaos, and tried to stop me. "What are you doing! Are you crazy! It's the Armageddon back there!" they screamed at me. I shrugged them off and kept running. I reached the city limits, and even from there, I saw the carnage.

Akuma were everywhere; the streets, rooftops, and so forth. The city was covered with them. I told Kuda, "I don't think I have enough left in me to kill them." I would be lucky if I killed one without passing out from weakness. Kuda nodded. "I was thinking the same thing, Master. Would it be better if we just turned around and left? There's not much you can do here."

Turning tail and running would be the smart choice, but there was something that was bothering me. "No. I'm not going to leave until I make sure Alice and the others make it out safely." If they were still in the city, then they were caught in the center of this madness.

Kuda sighed. "How did I know you would say something like that?" I smiled and told him, "Cause you know me so well. Hey, look on the bright side of this. You might finally be free of me after this." Because I was sure that I wouldn't be fortunate to make it out of this mess alive.

Kuda looked at me and said, "I don't know if I consider that a bright side anymore." I smiled. It was good to know how much Kuda's views on me had changed since we were first paired up. I started to run against the flow of people, searching for any signs of the others.

I had to make sure they didn't slip past me on the evacuation route. But the darkness made it difficult to see the faces far away from me. People began to scream, and I saw why. An Akuma dropped down from a roof and into the mass of running people.

I formed my sword in my hand. If I killed him, then I would most certainly be too weak to do anything. So, the most I could do right now was lead it away. "Hey! Ugly!" I shouted over the panicked people's screaming. The Akuma turned and hissed at me.

He charged at me, and I ducked to the side and was able to slice a chunk of his leg off. It screamed in pain, then turned back to me, rage in his eyes. I smiled and said, "Yeah, you want me? Then you're gunna have to chase me."

I turned and started to run. The Akuma was chasing after me. Kuda held on tightly to my shoulder and asked, "Now what, genius? You got him to follow, so what are you going to do next?" I grinned at him and said, "Not sure. I'm kind of just making this up as I go."

Kuda stared at me in disbelief. He then looked back and forth and me and the Akuma that was chasing us. He shut his eyes and said, "Lord, help me." I took a sharp turn into an alley, and the Akuma continued to run down the street, not knowing that I had made a quick detour.

I told Kuda, "See? Everything worked out." He was latched onto my shoulder, eyes wide with fear and body tensed. He then turned and looked at me and yelled, "Don't you ever do something that stupid again! I thought I was going to die! Have you lost your mind!"

I clamped his mouth shut. If I hadn't, then he would have never shut up. "Quiet down. Do you want to have more Akuma after us?" He shook his head, and let him go. "Alright then. Now, let's see if we can find Alice and the others, then get the hell out of here."

_Alice_

When I woke up, it was still dark. Thinking that I had woken up late at night, I checked the clock. It was eight in the morning, and should have been daylight. I quickly changed into my clothes and ran downstairs to see what was going on. The others were already down in the lobby.

I ran up to them and asked, "What's going on? Why's it so dark?" They shook their heads. Julie told me, "Murucho thought it was an eclipse, but it's not. Nobody knows what's going on. I'm kind of getting scared." Runo patted her shoulder and tried to comfort her.

Dan and Murucho were at the glass lobby doors, looking outside. I walked up behind them. "Guys? Any clue as to what's going on?" They both turned around and shook their heads. If Murucho couldn't even give us an explanation, then this couldn't be good.

I heard a snippet of somebody else's conversation. It was between two women. One of them mentioned something about monsters popping up around the city. _Monsters? Are they talking about Akuma?_ A mad laughter then brought the lobby to a state of dead silence.

Everyone turned and looked at a man who was standing in the center of the room. He had a creepy smile that made him look insane, and his eyes were pitch black. I then started to look around and saw that we were surrounded by people with the same smiles and black eyes.

_They're in here._ Their bodies then started to twist in ways that they shouldn't have been able to. Bones cracked and skin tore as whatever was inside made its way out. I ran over to the others. People screamed when the monster burst through at last.

Standing in the place of what once looked human, was a tall, skinny monster with black skin. He dragged his long, sharp fingers along the tile floor, creating a screeching sound. We covered our ears from the painful noise. I looked around and saw that the other black-eyed people had shed their skin and revealed themselves as to what they were.

The Akuma in the middle smiled, showing his jagged teeth. He then yelled, "Feeding time, brothers!" Panic immediately set in amongst the already terrified people in the lobby. They started to run towards the door, but there was an Akuma blocking the exit.

Dan yelled, "What the hell is going on?" I heard Julie and Runo scream. One of the Akuma had then cornered and was walking closer to them on all fours. He lashed out a forked tongue, running it along Runo's arm. A cut was left behind, and it reminded me somewhat of the faint scar that had been under Shun's eye.

But this was no time to be reminded about pointless things. My friends were about to be eaten by that monster, and I wasn't going to let it happen. I looked around and grabbed a floor lamp that had been plugged into the wall.

I yanked the cord out of the socket and held the lamp like a baseball bat. I ran up to the Akuma, and swung, hitting him in the face. The light bulb inside the lampshade, shattered, and glass stuck in the monster's eye. Black blood came pouring out like tears.

The Akuma screamed in pain and stumbled away from Julie and Runo. They sat there, huddled in the corner, tears running down their faces. They were scared. We all were. I grabbed their wrists and said, "Come on! We have to find a way out of here!"

I pulled them up and dragged them along behind me. I started to look around for Dan. He had a chair from the hotel's restauraunt and was swinging it at an Akuma that had him and Murucho cornered. The Akuma swatted down at the chair, knocking one of the wooden legs off.

Dan quickly reached down and stabbed the chair leg into the Akuma's torso. The creature screamed and pulled the piece of wood out of its chest. Again, the black blood came cascading out. I yelled at them, "Dan! Murucho! Come on!" They looked around until they found me.

I waved my hand for them to follow me. I ran into the stairwell, and pushed the heavy metal door shut when everyone was inside. I saw that there was a latch that could lock the door, and I turned it. Odds were that the little lock wouldn't do much against the powerful Akuma on the other side of the door, but it was the best line of defense we had.

I turned around and saw Dan and Murucho were trying to calm Runo and Julie down. The two girls were crying their eyes out. I probably would have been too if I didn't know what those things were. I knelt down beside them and said, "You guys have to cut the waterworks now. We have to get out of here without being killed."

They looked up at me, and I could see in their eyes that they were wondering how I could be so calm in this situation. The two girls wiped the tears away and stood up. "Hey! I may have found a way out!" said Murucho. He had found an emergency exit map screwed onto the wall.

He pointed down the stairs and said, "According to this map, there's an emergency exit door a few flights below us." Something rammed into the metal door, causing it to bend slightly. "Then let's take that exit," Dan said, voice urgent and filled with panic.

Four, long black claws then sliced through the metal door as if it had been paper. The five of us ran down the stairs, looking for the emergency exit. But I couldn't help but think about Shun. He said he was an Akuma. _Is he really one of those things?_

* * *

_chapter titled based off the song Get Out Alive by Three Days Grace. _aye. monday. -.- even when i have no school, i can't stand it. oh well. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	22. What Have You Done Now?

_Alice_

We made it out of the stairwell just in time. Back at the door, the Akuma finished cutting through the steel and had broken through. But we made it out of the emergency exit as soon as this happened. Now, we were somewhere within the city's alley system.

Dan told us, "Everyone stay close." He didn't have to tell us twice. It was still dark as night, making it difficult to see. Plus, there were Akuma running around everywhere. We were easy prey for them in this situation. It wasn't like back at the hotel, where we had the lobby's lights to show us what was happening. The sound of helicopter blades cut through the air somewhere nearby.

Julie said nervously, "Maybe if we could find that helicopter, they could help get us out of the city." It was a possibility, but there was no telling where that helicopter was. And odds were, that it was with the military and hear to try and kill the Akuma.

Chasing after one, would surely mean that we would be chasing after demons as well. We reached the end of one alley, and checked around the corner to see if we had any unwelcome guests. Everything was clear. I turned around to tell the others, and we hurried across the street and into another alley.

Something shiny caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I turned and saw Dan was holding what looked like a sword of some kind. If my history was correct, it was called a saber. "Where in the world did you find that at?" I asked him.

He looked at it and said, "When we crossed that street back there. I picked it up. Thought we might need some kind of weapon against these monsters." I was just trying to figure out why a sword of any kind was laying around in the streets.

But I figured that now was not the time to start wondering about pointless things. Off in the distance, I heard something that sounded like laughter. It was mad, and hinted with what I would call insanity. Dan stopped in his tracks. "What's wrong?" I asked.

The others stopped running as well when they realized that our friend had frozen in place. "I-I've heard that sound before," he said in a fear-filled voice. Even in the darkness, I could see that his eyes reflected his voice. They were wide with fear.

I took his hand in mine and said, "Ignore it, Dan. We have to keep moving." He seemed to have snapped out of his fear-induced trance when he heard my voice. The brunette nodded and we continued to run through the maze of alleys.

_Shun_

The longer I stayed in the city, the more desolate the streets became. No longer were there people running to get away from the chaos of the Teiden; they all seemed to have finally evacuated within a short time. But among the masses of people, I still hadn't seen a sign of Alice or any of the others.

A gut feeling was telling me that they were still in Wardington, and hadn't evacuated with the rest of the citizens. My first reaction was the check the hotel. Perhaps they were holed up somewhere in there as a means to hide from the rampaging Akuma.

I reached the hotel and ran up the concrete steps. The doors were locked, so I looked inside through the glass. Inside the lobby, it was a bloody mess. I backed away from the site, hoping that Alice and the others weren't among those who had been massacred.

"Come on, Kuda. Let's keep looking around. I just know that they're still here." The Kanko nodded, but I could see that he was doubting me. But that gut feeling was still there, despite the blood-filled hotel lobby that I just saw. I ran back into the street.

Above me, the blacked-out sun was where it would normally be at noon. Had it really been only a couple of hours since all of this started? It felt like it had already been weeks. An Akuma jumped on the roof of a building nearby.

A spotlight hit it, and I followed the light up to find a helicopter hovering in the air. It looked like the military was stepping in._ None of their weapons will do anything to these Akuma, _I thought to myself. The Akuma ran from the light, and the helicopter proceeded to follow.

I felt like time was running out. The longer it took to find the others, the more likely it was that something bad had become of them. I couldn't afford to get distracted anymore. Until I found some sign of them, I couldn't afford to stop.

_Shun_

I found myself in one of Wardington's main streets. It was just as empty as any of the others that I had come across. I swore that I had gone all over the area, and saw no sign of the others. I was starting to wonder if they had really gotten out of the city, and that my gut feeling was wrong.

Suddenly, a mad laugh made me look up. Sitting on the roof of a bank, was an Oni. But from the sound of his twisted laughter, it was the Oni that possessed Dan a couple of nights ago. He smiled down and me and asked, "How are you handling the old man's death?"

I felt my body tense up, and my jaw clench tight. "You had something to do with it! Didn't you!" I shouted up at him. The Oni laughed. He still was in his human disguise, but I saw way past that. I saw the very monster that had tormented me my whole life.

The Oni folded his arms across his chest, still smiling. "You could say I played a part in it. All I wanted to do was, how could I put this? Feed the fire." His voice dripped poison when he said those last words. He then started to pace back and forth on the roof, as if he were about to give a lecture.

And he did. "You remember my brother, right? The one who killed your family and then you killed in return? Of course you do. Well, I remember I mentioned that he liked to make things interesting. An example of that was your curse. Well, and as I've said before, I like things interesting too. So, I organized this uprising on the Teiden to see how you would react to it. And might I say, it's been rather quite a disappointment. I expected more of you, young Akuma."

I wanted to do nothing more than cut him in half. No, even that wasn't enough for what I wanted to do. The Oni sat on the edge of the roof and smiled. "You know, I don't think that you and I were ever properly introduced. I'm Akki. Oh, there's no need for you to say who you are. I already know."

I had formed my sword in my hand while he was 'introducing' himself. He saw the sword, and started to laugh again. "You've got spunk. I like that. But I'm not quite ready for you to fight me. In the condition that you're in, I would be able to kill you with the flick of a finger. So, we must do something about that if you want to go up against me…."

He raised an eyebrow and smiled evilly. He said, "How about breaking that curse?" I narrowed my eyes at him and shouted, "I'm not going to kill Alice! And you know I won't!" Akki laughed and hissed, "I never said that _you _would break your curse on your own free will. I have a question for you, Akuma." I wasn't following what he was saying.

How else did he expect me to break my curse other than on my own will? It wasn't like Oni had mind control powers. Not even the most powerful ones had to ability to control one's mind. The closest thing they had to that, was the power to possess humans.

I asked, "And what would that question be?" He tapped his fingers along the roof and grinned, showing off those jagged teeth. He asked, "Do you know what the biggest disadvantage to that soul of your's is?" I tightened my grip on the sword, and felt my heart speed up with adrenaline.

Akki's voice was a whisper, but I heard him clear as day. He said, "It means that you can be possessed." I felt my eyes widen, and I tried to get away from him. But the Oni had turned into a dark mist and leaped into my body. I fell down, catching myself on my hands and knees, and screamed as he possessed me.

Just then, I saw Alice run out from an alley nearby. "Shun!" I tried to shout at her to get away, but the Oni wasn't allowing it. Instead, he made me stand and slung my sword at her, and I watched as the metal went through her body and she dropped to the ground.

At that moment, I felt all the years of the curse that had been placed on me, come undone in a matter of seconds. Now, I was trying to force Akki to quit possessing me, but it was pointless. He laughed and made me say, "Now, things have gotten interesting."

He left my body and jumped back to the roof. He shouted at me, "When you're ready to fight, find me!" I hardly even paid him any mind. I was too focused on Alice, and what the Oni had made me do. But it was short-lived. My anger took over from there, and so did the flames.

_Dan_

We had been going through alley after alley, and I was started to wonder if we'd ever find the way out. Although, my worry for finding safety, was dwarfed by the fact that I heard that laugh. It was so familiar to me. _I know I've heard it somewhere._ It was like that silver-haired guy I passed by on the street.

Somehow, I knew it had to do with the night that I couldn't remember. I was still angry at Shun for not telling me what happened. He was there, and he knew the truth. Yet, he refused to tell me. It wasn't like him to keep secrets from me. We were friends.

If he couldn't be honest with me, then how would I even know if he was truly a friend? I looked down at the sword I found back in the street. Even it sparked a sense of familiarity. I looked at the strange etchings in the metal.

This thing was ornate, and the blade was insanely sharp. I still couldn't believe that it was just laying around in the street. But with all the chaos, I understood if whoever owned it, dropped it. _Or was killed, _I added. We were coming up on another street, and the laughter was getting louder and louder.

It drove me up the wall. All I wanted was for it to stop. When we got to the street, Alice was the first one to see Shun. She immediately ran towards him, but something didn't look right about him. That was when he threw the sword he had in his hand, and it cut through Alice like she wasn't even there.

Runo and Julie screamed and ran after her. Murucho followed suit. I just stood there, not believing what I just saw. I snapped somewhat out of the shock and ran over to Alice. I turned back to look at Shun to make sure he wasn't about to do the same thing to one of us.

He was standing there, hair hiding his eyes and most of his face. Anger built up inside of me. How could he do this to Alice? Right when I was about to say something, black flames engulfed him, causing all words to hang up at my lips.

He looked as evil as the rest of the monsters that had been chasing us. "Akki!" he screamed then jumped up to a roof and ran off. "Shun's a demon," I whispered to myself.

* * *

_chapter title based off the song What Have You Done Now?_ _by Within Temptation_. i told you guys there would be a twist. o.o but dont worry. it will all play together. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	23. Darkside Of The Sun

_Star_

Teru and I had just reached the city limits with the rest of the evacuees. Police officers were directing the floor of traffic, which I didn't see any point in. None of these people were going to turn around and go back to their homes. Not until the Akuma were out of there.

But as of right then, the Akuma had control over the city. I had watched as the army helicopters flew in, guns firing at the monsters, only to do nothing. These people were so clueless about what they were up against. Regular weapons weren't worth a crap, and neither were weapons with blessings on them.

It was all because of the Teiden, or blackout of the sun. It had left hunters like me, completely vulnerable. With that, I had no choice but the leave the city, or be slaughtered along with the rest of the poor souls that didn't get out in time.

I had even left my saber. It wasn't of any worth to me now though. It was only a piece of metal right now. I stopped walking, and ignored the questioning looks of people that passed by me. Teru asked me, "Why did you stop walking, Master Star?"

A realization just hit me. The Akuma had taken over Wardington in a matter of hours. What if they decided to move onto the next city? Today, they were capable of doing whatever they pleased, unless they were stopped before they could travel to other places.

I turned around, not caring that the police officer was yelling at me. It didn't matter if I was useless in this fight. I felt like I had to help stop the Akuma. I ran against the sea of people, only to stop dead in my tracks. _Him, _I said to myself with a slight disgust.

The city was started to catch fire. But not just any fire. Black fire. "He's still there," I hissed. The police officer grabbed my arm and said sternly, "Back in line!" I grabbed his arm, flipped him, and pinned him on the ground. "Maybe later," I told him and ran back into the city.

_Dan_

I ran my shaking hand through my hair. I wasn't believing any of what just happened. First, we witnessed Shun kill Alice. That was hard enough to deal with. Second, I had just found out that Shun was one of these demons that were tearing apart the city.

Julie and Runo's crying snapped me out of my trance, and I returned back over to them. They were kneeling beside the lifeless Alice. I still couldn't believe that Shun would do something like that. Why Alice, of all people? Murucho was trying to comfort the two girls, but it was failing miserably.

He was crying as well, and I knew that this wasn't helping the grieving girls. "We need to get out of the city," I said flatly. Runo wiped the tears from her face and asked in between sobs, "What about Alice?" I looked at the motionless girl that was laying on the ground.

What could we do for her? Murucho had verified that she was no longer with us. It wasn't like one of us could play God and bring her back. I told her, "Nothing. Listen, Runo. Alice would want us to get out of here and go somewhere safe. Sitting here is like asking for somebody else to get hurt."

This only made Runo bury her face into her hands and cry more. I held back the tear that was trying to escape my eye. How could Shun do this? No. How could he keep something like this from us? All these years, he had been deceiving us all.

He had been one of these demons all this time. I felt betrayed. Shun was my best friend, and I thought I knew him. But the past hour had proved that I didn't know him at all. I sat down on a curb and ran both of my hands through my hair.

How was I supposed to handle all of this? The world already felt like it was coming to an end, and things were still finding a way to get worse. I looked up and saw buildings catching on fire with black flames. I couldn't help but wonder who would tear the place apart first; the demons, or that fire.

Something else caught my attention. It was the pirate guy that I passed by back at the street crossing a while back. He just from one roof to the next, and was heading in the direction that Shun had gone off in, and where the flames were.

_Kuda_

Shun had lost it. After Akki quit possessing him, it was only a matter of seconds before rage took over his rationality. I had never seen him like this before, and it scared me. He finally caught up with Akki, who in turn, just laughed like a madman.

"This is so much fun!" the Oni shouted. Shun charged at the demon, but Akki just sidestepped all of his swings. There was no control behind Shun's attacks. They were nothing more than blind swings. All I could do was sit by and watch. I looked around and saw that several buildings had become ablaze from Shun's rogue fire.

I couldn't help but feel that the whole city would burn before my master even landed a hit on Akki. The Oni dodged another one of Shun's attacks, and laughed. "Is that all ya got?" Akki taunted. The more that the Oni pushed on Shun's nerves, the worse things got.

I couldn't stand to watch it anymore, but I did. Shun ran at Akki again. The Oni did nothing more than smile, and knocked my master to the side. "I didn't free you from your curse just to have you fight like a child!" he yelled then ran off, jumping from building to building again.

Shun was about to go after him again, but a voice stopped him. Star and Teru were standing on the building next to us. I noticed that the hunter didn't have any of his weapons with him. Not that they would have done much, but he could have at least had some kind of defense.

"What do you think you're doing, Akuma?" the hunter asked. Shun growled at him like some kind of rabid animal. Star jumped onto the same roof of us and said, "Can't you see what you're doing?" Shun charged at the hunter.

I expected to see Star cut in half. But instead, he ducked under the blade at the last minute, and rolled out of the way. Shun, unable to stop the arc of his swing in time, only hit a lightning rod that was placed on top of the roof. Teru joined over at my side, getting out of harm's way.

I asked her, "What the hell does Star think he's doing? Doesn't he know that he's completely defenseless against Shun?" Before this, I had always thought that Star was mental, but now it was a proven fact. Teru told me, "Star knows that he's got no defense against your master, but he doesn't need any."

I looked at her, completely confused. Shun was dangerous right now, and this guy felt as if he didn't need anything to fight with? Teru told me, "From outside of the city limits, Star saw the black flames starting to engulf the city.

He knew right then that your master had lost control, but it wasn't like when he lost control back in the alley." I remembered that day very well. Shun's friend had been possessed by Akki, and Star was there only to kill the Oni.

Star didn't care if somebody was possessed, and Shun wasn't going to allow the hunter to kill his friend. But the Oni's words, and Star's persistence, had gotten to him and he lost control, nearly killing Star. Teru continued to talk as our two masters fought each other.

"This is different because back in the alley, it was apparent that your master had some selfawareness as to what was going on around him. Here, he does not. You might as well say that he's checked out and let his rage take over." Star was still dodging everyone of Shun's attacks when I asked, "And what does your master think he's going to accomplish by doing this?"

I pointed with my paw to the fight, that I was started to debate whether it really was a fight or not. Teru told me, "Star came up with the plan while we were making our way here. He's trying to tire out your master. When he does, then he's going to try and calm him down and talk some sense into him."

I turned back to the two, and actually saw what Teru was talking about. Shun was starting to pant, and his movements were starting to slow down. Star's plan was working. Shun tried attacking the hunter several more times, but lost his footing and fell down.

Star just stood there, a blank expression on his face like always. He asked, "Are you done yet?" Shun, who was still on the ground, growled at him. Star motioned with his hand, to the surrounding buildings that were burning from Shun's out of control flames.

"Don't you see that you're doing more damage to everything else, except the Oni that you're after?" Shun looked around and Star continued to talk. "Right now, you're the only one who has any ability to hurt this Oni, and you won't be able to if all you're doing is attacking blindly. And I'll be damned if I allow the Akuma who could have killed me, be killed or made a fool of by this Oni. It's just pathetic."

Now I understood. I could see it in Star's eyes, that he didn't like the fact that he was trying to help Shun. But as he said a second ago, Shun was the only one who had the ability to kill any Akuma. His sword wasn't blessed like Star's saber, but demonic.

It wasn't at a disadvatange like the saber. Star stood in front of Shun and said, "Now, how about regaining your composure?" My master stared down at the ground and said shakily, "He possessed me. He made me kill Alice." I felt my ears prick up.

Those were the only rational sounded words that Shun had said since he went crazy. The flames surrounding his body, then went away. Now, tears were streaking down his face and landing on the roof's surface. "He made me kill her," he said with a sob.

It looked like reality was started to catch up with him. The initial shock was over. I went over to Shun's side, no longer fearing that he would turn on me now that his madness was gone. Star told him, "I'm sure that you're suffering and in pain, but now is not the time for that. When that Oni is dead, you can grieve until your heart's content. But not now."

The hunter held his gloved hand out to Shun. My master stared at it, then allowed Star to help him up to his feet. Shun wiped his eyes. "Remember, revenge is powerful, but it will also be your downfall. When you go to kill that Oni, don't make your reason to fight be that cause he took something away from you. Make your reason to avenge what he's taken from you," said Star.

He started to walk away, but Shun stopped him. "If you say that revenge isn't the right way to kill, then why do you hunt?" Star stopped walking and turned to face him. He said, "I don't want revenge on the Akuma like you. My reason, is that there are some creatures on this planet that don't need to exist."

Star jumped down from the roof and walked along the street that led out of Wardington. Teru ran after him. I asked Shun, "Do you think you're ready to fight Akki? For real this time?"

I worried that he would lose it again the moment he saw the Oni. But I had to have more faith in my master. He told me flatly, "I'm not sure. But I guess we're about to find out."

* * *

_chapter title based off the song Darkside Of The Sun by Tokio Hotel. _see? Star isnt _such _a bad guy. o.o'' -laughs nervously- he's one of those love-hate people. but i think mainly hate at times. o.o well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	24. Stronger

_Shun_

"You got a lock on Akki?" I asked Kuda. The Kanko nodded and said, "He's just a little ways up ahead." Adrenaline was starting to kick in. What if I lost it again? I might not have ever snapped out of it earlier if Star hadn't ever shown up. I still didn't understand why he even bothered to help me out.

It was clear as day that he still wanted to kill me. Then why help me? The black sun was starting to set. Would this madness continue into the night? Or would the effects of the Teiden cease right then and there? Kuda suddenly said, "There he is."

I looked ahead and saw Akki standing in front of Wardington Tower. He was examining his fingernails, looking bored and unamused. _We'll see how long that lasts._ Just looking at him, I felt my anger boil up inside. I quickly calmed myself down. Star's words popped into my mind.

_"Don't fight for revenge, but avenge those that he took from you." _I turned around and saw that the buildings were still on fire. My fire. I couldn't afford to lose control again. It caused too much damage to everything else, except my target.

The fight on the roof proved that. After I calmed down earlier, and Star left, Kuda told me what I was like. It even scared myself to know how ravenous I had been. I sighed, mentally psyching myself up. Kuda told me, "I'll be up here if you need me." I smiled.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be down there with me, which he probably didn't. But he wasn't really an advantage to me. So, it was probably for both of our benefit if he stayed out of the way. I formed the black sword in my hand and jumped from the roof, landing perfectly on my feet.

Akki looked at me and said with a grin, "I was wondering when you'd show." _Don't let him get in your head, _I told myself. If he worked his way into my thoughts, then this could be a total distaster for me. "Aw. You put away your flames," he said in a pouting way.

I readied my blade and started to circle him. Akki laughed and said, "Let me change into something more….Comfortable." His skin started to tear like paper, and bones cracked as they shifted shape. I would finally see what this murderer really looked like.

Two, large bat-like wings shot out of his back. Holes and tears littered the wings. The last of his human disguise fell off, leaving behind a monster in its place. I took a step back. He was terrifying to look at, and had a smell of death to match his looks.

Two, curled horns pertruded from his skull, making him look all the more evil. A long, thick tail also whipped around from behind him. Akki smiled, showing off those wickedly sharp teeth of his. I had heard that Oni were much more powerful than the Akuma I hunted, I was starting to believe every story that I had heard about them.

Akki's voice was deep, and sounded like it was mixed with a growl. "What do you think, Akuma?." He shot his wings out, causing a gust, and let out something that only I could describe as a roar. He narrowed his black eyes at me and said, "You'll be thankful that I broke your curse for you. It will be interesting for both of us now that you're in full fighting condition."

I growled. The moment he made me kill Alice, I felt the curse break, and all the damage it had done, reverse. I hated to admit it, but it felt nice to be in top form again. We began to circle each other. Akki told me, "You know, I've been looking forward to the day I finally got to meet my brother's killer. When I was told that he was killed by some kid, I nearly died laughing."

I snapped at him, "Why couldn't you have then?" It wouldn't have saved me a lot of trouble if he had literally died from his demented laugh. Akki smiled and said, "Then how would I have gotten this opportunity to watch you beg for your life? I wouldn't be able to do that if I were dead."

He then growled and said, "I've grown tired of this banter. I'm ready to fight!" The monster then ran at me, signaling the start of our fight.

_Star_

I was merely an observer. Standing on a nearby roof, I watched as the Akuma and Oni enter into the dance of battle. As much as I wished to be down there and kill the monster who made a fool of me back in Bay City, I could not. I was powerless during this time.

The only thing I feared, was that the Oni would win. Akki, as I had come to find out was his name, had easily defeated me. If he hadn't shown mercy that day, I wouldn't be standing where I was now. But I was one of the most skilled hunters out there, and he easily bested me.

This Akuma, from what I remembered the one time I encountered him, was somewhat pathetic in battle. Then again, he was weakened by his curse. Now, that curse was apparently lifted, returning him the strength that he had lost all this years.

Perhaps he would be a worth advasary to the Oni. Teru told me, "I still can't believe that you helped an Akuma." Her voice wasn't angry at me, but more surprised. I didn't like the fact that I helped such a lowly creature, but it was the only thing I could do.

I told her, "This Akuma, is the only one who can kill the Oni and keep the other Akuma from spreading to other cities now." The hunters like me, were worthless. Nothing more than people carrying regular weapons. When the Teiden ended, things would return back to normal.

But if this Oni and his army wasn't stopped now, then the world might belong to them when the sun returned. I watched below as the Oni was unable to stop fast enough, and slammed into a building.

Teru said, "Our little Akuma definitely has more agility than Akki." A smile creased my face. "Indeed," I told my partner. But if Akki did get a hold of this Akuma, then it could all end there. "In the meantime, let us sit and watch," I told Teru.

_Shun_

All I had been doing was dodging this beast. I had yet to land a single hit anywhere on him. Akki snarled at me when I sent him running into the side of building. I chuckled and said, "What's the matter? Need new brakes?" He charged at me again.

I stood my ground, and at the last minute, jumped to the side. The Oni's claws stuck into the concrete, and I took the opportunity and cut into his arm. He freed his hand, not even paying any mind to the gash in his arm. His black blood was gushing out, but it didn't seem to bother him either.

Right then, I knew it was going to take a lot more that a couple of cuts to take him out. I used my speed, the only advantage I seemed to have against him, and was able to cut into his side. Again, the blood flooded out, but he didn't care. Not even a scream of pain.

"You done?" he asked, sounding somewhat annoyed. He then turned into a mist, and vanished into the shadows that surrounded me. Frantically, I began to look for him. "Why don't you show yourself? Are you some kind of coward?"

The Oni's hand then appeared out of the shadows, and hit me, knocking me halfway across the common area in front of the Tower. I dropped my sword somewhere, and was now left laying on the ground, dazed and confused.

The wind was knocked out of me, and I struggled to catch my breath. I coughed as I tried to regulate my breath, and felt little specks on blood fall on my face. The Oni stepped out of the shadows and said, "Pathetic. I still can't believe my brother died by your hands."

Akki's long tail whipped around, and hit a fire hydrant, sending a geyser of water up into the air. The spewing water fell all over the common area, making it look like rain. Already, I was soaking wet. Akki made his way over to me, growling and anger in his eyes.

My body was still stunned from being swatted like a fly, and I was unable to sit up at the moment. Now, the Oni was standing over me. He said, "I expected a little bit more of a challenge from you, but I guess that I was getting me hopes up. My brother didn't deserve to die by someone who is so weak."

While the Oni's eyes were focused on me, I had formed a new sword in my hand, and rammed it into his chest. This time, I did get a scream out of him. Akki stumbled back, clutching the wound. He stared down at the sword that was pertruding from his flesh, then to me.

His eyes narrowed, and a snarl formed on his face. "I'll kill you!" he screamed and pulled the sword out, then broke the blade in half. I formed another sword in my hands, and used it to help myself up to my feet. My body was still stunned, and not responding how I wanted it to.

Akki lashed out a long, forked tongue and ran at me again. I closed my eyes, thinking about those that I had lost. My whole family, mother, grandfather, and Alice. I heard Akki get closer to me. This wasn't revenge for them like I had been doing all these years.

It was to avenge them. None of them deserved to die like they did. "You're dead!" the Oni screamed as he got closer. Akki was right at me when I opened my eyes, and watched him go up in black flames. The water of the broken fire hydrant wasn't doing anything to put them out, only I could.

All these years, I had been living in fear of them. They controlled me, but now, I controlled them. Akki tried to put the flames out, but they wouldn't. I wasn't allowing it. He screamed in pain and agony, and I was reminded how his brother did the same thing when I first lost control.

Akki fell to the ground, still screaming and on fire. "Stop!" he begged. I didn't want to, but I did. I extinguished the flames, and approached his charred body. Smoke rose from his limbs, and his wings were all but gone. I stood next to him and said, "So pathetic."

He growled at me. "You're in position to be doing anything, Akki," I told him. He tried to move, but his body was so badly injured, he was unable to move. All he could do was groan in pain. I told him, "Just because I showed you mercy, doesn't mean that I'm not going to kill you."

His eyes widened. How foolish for him to think that I really was going to let him live. I pointed the tip of my sword right in the center of his chest, raised the blade, then rammed it into the rotten thing that was his heart. His eyes were wide, and a thin line of black blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.

Then, his eyes closed, and he vanished into a cloud of black dust, like all of them did. I stepped back, feeling a relief that it was all over. That he was gone. I tilted my head back and looked up at the black sky, water from the hydrant falling on my face. I smiled and blacked out.

* * *

_chapter title based off the song Stronger by Dead By April. _there might be one or two more chapters. i dont know. of course, there are the lose ends that need to be tied up. (like Dan and the others.) but dont worry, it will end nicely, i promise. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	25. Dance With The Devil

_Shun_

I felt something nudge my side. At first, I thought it may have been Kuda. But when I opened my eyes, I saw Star standing over me. He then proceeded to lightly kick my side again. "Get up," he said. I sat up, feeling groggy after coming out of my state of unconsciouness.

I looked around and saw that I was still in the commons in front of Wardington Tower. That was when I remembered what happened before I blacked out. I had killed Akki. _How could I forget is so easily? _I thought to myself. Kuda then appeared from behind Star and jumped onto my shoulder.

"You're alive!" he shouted joyfully. I chuckled and asked, "You thought I was going to die? I thought I told you to have more faith in me." Kuda rolled his eyes and said, "I'm a bit of a pessimist at times, you know that." I chuckled, finding it amusing that Kuda thought that I was going to die.

_Die, _I said silently to myself. I then remembered Alice. I shot up to my feet, surprising Star by my sudden action. "I have to get to Alice," I told him. I had to see her, and I knew it would probably mean confronting the others when I did.

Star tossed a lock of his silver hair over his shoulder and said, "I think I know who you're talking about. If I remember right, I passed by them on the way here." I got right up in front of Star and said sternly, "Take me to them."

I couldn't remember where I had left them. After Akki possessed me and forced me to take Alice's life, I lost it, and didn't recall much of what happened after that. The last thing I remembered after killing Alice, was Star talking me out of my rage.

"Alright. Follow me and I'll take you to your little friends," he said while turning around and walking away from the commons. I chased after him, and a sudden sickening feeling hit me. All the others knew, was that it was my hand that killed Alice.

Would they even bother to listen? And if they did, would they even care if I was possessed or not? Killing was killing, no matter how some people looked at it. But what I feared most, was how they would handle knowing what I was. There was no way that they hadn't noticed the black flames appear after I lost control.

Star and I continued to walk down one of the main streets, and I noticed that dawn was nearing. The Teiden was coming to an end, and the sun would be back soon. I asked him, "What about the other Akuma? Did they get out of Wardington and spread to other cities?"

I had been unconscious for a while, and had no clue what was going on. Star told me, "Even though the Teiden was still going on, hunters from other cities came here and were able to keep the Akuma here. I joined them, that's why I woke you up so long after your victory over Akki."

It felt strange, being next to this psychopath and having a conversation with him. This was the same guy that was dead-set on killing me, just because I left a scratch on him. Then again, he had no weapon, so he would have to be a fool to try and kill me now.

"They're still there," he said, breaking my thoughts. I looked up ahead, and saw the others. Julie, Runo, and Murucho were gathered around, what I figured, was Alice. Dan was sitting off to the side on a sidewalk. The sick feeling returned. I wanted to turn around and not face them, but I had to.

I had to confront them eventually. I walked closer to them, and they heard my footsteps. I stopped in my tracks, not more than ten feet from them. Seeing the tear stains on their faces, was almost too much for me. I was seeing what I had caused, even if I didn't have the choice.

I was about to take another step closer, when I heard the sound of metal cut through the air. I was now looking down the blade of Star's saber, and right at Dan's face.

_Shun_

I saw the anger in his eyes, and I felt like my worst thoughts had become a reality. So, this was what would happen when my friend learned my secret. I would have a sword turned on me. Star then walked up beside us, and snatched the saber from Dan's hand.

The hunter told him, "Give me that. You're not skilled enough to use this." Star slipped the saber away in its holster. Dan turned back to me and asked coldly, "What are you doing back here? Trying to hurt one of them?" I shook my head. "No. I'm just hear to see Alice."

Dan's stare only got colder when I said that. He said curtly, "Well, you're not going to get many words out of her since you killed her!" He raised his voice at the end. Star then spoke up. "He had no choice. He was possessed. A demon made him hurt your friend."

I was suddenly thankful to Star for standing up for me, when I couldn't find the words to say. Dan let out a short laugh, but even I could pick up on all of the emotions in that split second. There was sadness, anger, confusion, and a multitude of everything else.

I was the cause of this. Dan told Star, "Yeah, right. He's one of those things that have been running around the city all night and killing people. Like I believe he was 'possessed' when he killed Alice." If words could be knives, I would be dead from bloodloss.

I asked, "Do you really think I would have ever wanted to kill her?" I felt the tears starting to well up in my eyes, and I quickly wiped them away. Dan didn't seem to have anything to say, so I continued to speak. "You know I wouldn't. You knew how I felt about her. I'd never do something like this unless somebody else made me."

Dan turned his head and looked away, breaking the cold gaze from me. "I know," he whispered. The others were staring at us, not just me. Although, there were some. Dan then turned back to face me, the rage and anger returned. "Why the hell did you never tell us what you were!" he shouted. I heard Star sigh next to me. It was clear that he was growing annoyed.

I told Dan, "Because I was afraid of this. I was afraid of how you and the others would react if I ever told you, or if you ever found out. I just wish that you all had learned under circumstances different from this." Discovering that your 'friend' was a demon after he killed one of your other friends, wasn't a good way to break the news.

"But-" Dan started, but I cut him off. "I'm still the same person," I told him. "The only thing that's changed is what I am. Not who." I had been through too much. I had already lost almost everything that I held dear, and I wasn't about to lose the last thing that held me together.

_Shun_

Dan dropped down to the ground, holding the sides of his head. "I don't know what to make of any of this," he said under his breath. I knelt down next to him and said, "Make whatever you want to out of it." That's all I could tell him.

The rest was up to him; whether he would see that I was still the same, or if he was going to not even acknowledge my existence. Dan looked at me, then turned over and looked in the direction of the others. Star was kneeling beside Alice's body.

Dan asked, "Hey, what are you doing?" Star glanced up and told him, "Seeing if there's anything I can do." Dan got up and walked over to the huddled group of people. I stood up as well, and watched, but kept a distance from the others.

Pangs of guilt and regret hit me when I saw Alice. She was pale and motionless. Star lifted her bloody shirt up just enough that it exposed nothing but her abdomen. I saw the same black decay that had been on Star when I cut him, but this had almost consumed all of her abdomen.

I took a moment to regain my composure, and looked away. When I felt like I wasn't about to breakdown, I continued to look. Star turned to look at his Kanko and asked, "Do you think there's anything you can do for her, Teru?"

Dan blinked and said, "You can see that thing too?" All of us turned to look at him. Murucho wiped his face with the cloth he used to clean his glasses and asked, "What do you mean, Dan?" He pointed to Star's shoulder and said, "He has some worm-dog thing on him." Kuda snapped, "We are not worms!" Dan turned and looked directly at the Kanko.

He asked, "How come I can see them, and the others can't?" Runo placed a hand on Dan's shoulder and said with a shaky voice, "I think you need to take it easy. You're probably in shock and seeing things." Star shook his head and told them, "No, he's seeing something. Your friend isn't going insane."

Murucho put the cleaning cloth away and asked, "Then what is he seeing? And like he asked earlier, why can't we see it?" Of course Murucho would be the one interrogating Star for questions at a time like this. Star cleared his throat and said, "Kanko, or more commonly known as pipe foxes. Humans aren't supposed to see them, only the ones touched by the supernatural, like your friend over there."

Star looked at me for a moment, then turned back to the others. He said to Dan, "I think the reason you can see them now is because you were possessed a while back. The after effects might just be kicking in now." Dan stared at him with wide eyes.

"I….Was possessed? When the hell did this happen!" He then turned and looked at me with narrowed eyes. "That's what happened that night that I can't remember, isn't it, Shun?" he asked coldly. I closed my eyes and nodded. He stood up and said, "I can't believe that-"

Star grabbed the back of Dan's shirt and said, "You two can argue this out later." Dan glared at me and knelt back down beside Alice. The sun was starting to rise off in the distance, giving the world some of its light back. Star said, "Good. The Teiden is over. Teru, do what you can for her."

His Kanko floated down and hovered over Alice, just as she had done to Star. "Can I asked that everyone back up some?" the hunter asked. The four of them looked at each other, and created some space. Teru turned to Star and said, "I don't have the ability to bring her back, but I can try and heal her as much as I'm able to."

Star nodded and I watched as Teru mumbled the same words she did when she purified her master's wound. The black decay started to fade away, but I could see that the Kanko was struggling. The others stared in either shock or awe as the wound was cleansed.

Kuda then jumped from my shoulder and joined across from Teru. She looked up at him and asked, "What are you doing?" Kuda told her, "I'm going to help you." I smiled, somewhat grateful that my loyal friend was doing this.

I heard Teru whisper to him, "But you've almost lost all your powers, Kuda." That was news to me. It would make sense why Kuda never did any of this kind of healing on me when I was injured. Kuda told her, "I can try, can't I?" Teru sighed. "Go ahead," she told him.

The two pipe foxes started to mumble the same words, and the black discoloration washed away faster that it was before. Not long after that, the skin around Alice's wound was back to normal. Star stood up and walked over next to me.

He said, "Teru is going to try and heal the wound, but there's no guarentee that she'll be able to do it." The two Kanko continued to mutter their incantations. I said to Star, "But I thought she wasn't able to heal wounds like this."

I recalled from when I watched Teru do this once before, that she said she was unable to do something like that. Star told me, "She can, but it takes a lot out of her." I nodded and continued to watch. Maybe with Kuda's help, she'd be able to accomplish the impossible.

The wound started to close, and even Star looked surprised. When the hole in Alice's abdomen was gone, both Kanko fell to the ground, panting with exhaustion. Dan and the others, stared with wide eyes full of shock.

Murucho knelt back beside Alice and examined where the wound had been. "Incredible," he said. They had just watched something they couldn't see, heal their friend. Star picked up the exhausted Teru, and placed her on his shoulder.

I went over and did the same to Kuda, then turned and looked at Alice. It was a foolish thing for me to think that she would wake up. I had just been told that Teru couldn't bring the dead back. I shut my eyes, and allowed a tear to roll down my face.

"I'm so sorry," I told her. I opened my eyes and saw that my tear had landed on her face. I was about to wipe it away, when I thought I saw her hand twitch. I turned back to Star and said, "I thought Teru couldn't bring people back." He crossed his arms over his chest and said, "She doesn't, but there may be a possibility that now that the wound's healed, your friend could wake up on their own."

I felt my hopes starting to get up, and the others seemed to as well. After hearing that, they ran over next to her. Gently, I shook Alice's shoulder, just to see if it would work. Her eyes opened partially, and she looked around to see the five of us kneeling beside her.

_Shun_

Julie and Runo then went ballistic. They hugged Alice, and I feared that they'd never let her go. Murucho looked like his mind had been blown. I turned around and saw Dan gawking at the now alive Alice. I asked him, "Is this enough to forgive me?"

If the return of a friend that had once been dead wasn't enough, then I might as well have given up on Dan. The brunette still had his gaze fixed on Alice, but he nodded his head to answer my question. "Julie, Runo, you guys can let me go now," I heard a soft voice say.

I turned back to see Alice finally freed from the embrace of her friends. I told her, "You gave some of us quite a scare." She smiled. "Sorry." I wrapped my arms around her and whispered to her, "No, I should be the one who's sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

The tears started to roll down my face. I was so grateful that she was back, and that I hadn't taken her away from this world for all eternity. But I had to thank Star for this. I looked around and saw that he was walking away. I told Alice, "I'll be right back."

She nodded and I ran towards the hunter. "Star! Wait up!" He whirled around, saber pointed at my throat. I stopped dead in my tracks. He said, "I could, no. Should kill you right now. The Teiden is over with, and I have no more reason to keep you alive."

I couldn't believe that after all he had done for me, he still wanted me dead. "But," he started. "Although there are creatures on this world that shouldn't exist, some of them are just too interesting to kill."

He lowered the saber and slid it back into the holster. Star turned around and continued to walk down the street. "I still don't get that guy," Kuda said groggily. I told him, "Maybe it's best if we don't." The Kanko nodded in agreement, and I turned to go back to Alice.

* * *

_chapter title based off the song Dance With The Devil by Breaking Benjamin. _for the record, yes i did quote something from the abe lincoln book. it was the 'some are too interesting to kill' or whatever. o.o so, the author guy owns that. just saying. yes, there will probably be one more chapter. (i dont like ending stories on odd numbers, and there's still some lose ends to tie up.) well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	26. Life Is Good

_Shun_

_One Month Later….._

I unlocked the door to my apartment, and stepped inside. Kuda was stretched out on the loveseat, staring up at the ceiling. I asked him, "So, how does it feel now that you have to wait longer for me to die before you're free?" Kuda rolled over onto his stomach and said, "Feels about the same."

I smiled. Now that my curse was lifted, I didn't have to worry about my next day being my last. No longer did I fear which kill would end it all for me. But I still didn't like how it was broken. I had been possessed by an Oni, and forced to kill Alice; the key to my curse.

And if it wasn't for Teru and Kuda, she would have still been dead. I was just thankful that she wasn't blaming me for what happened to her. Now, it had been a month since all of that drama. Since then, the others and I had let bygones be bygones. Dan took a little more convincing though. He was still a little angry at me for keeping such a big secret from him.

But in true Dan fashion, he didn't stay mad long. I kind of felt foolish for living all these years in fear of his reaction. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would have been. Kuda jumped at the sound of the contstruction work down the road.

The city was almost completely rebuilt from the damaged caused by the Akuma that rampaged during the Teiden. It was clear that the people of Wardington, had a different view of their city now. They knew of the dark secrets that hid in the darkness and preyed on them at night.

Although monsters had destroyed thousands of buildings, things had gone back to their regular routine, even for me. I still hunted, of course. The only thing that changed was the fact that I could kill ten in one night, and not even break a sweat.

It was nice though, not having my life slip away from me any longer. I reached into the liquor cabinet and stared at the bottle, then put it back. "I don't need it," I said to myself. Kuda was staring at me. "What?" I asked. He blinked a couple of times, as if to tell if he was really seeing something.

"I never thought I'd live to see this day," he said. I chuckled. _Same here, buddy._ Now that the curse was gone and things were finally falling in place for me, I had no reason to drink away my problems. I walked over to my closet and pulled out a jacket, then slipped it on.

Kuda asked, "Where are you going?" I straightened the hood on the back of the jacket and told him, "I'm just going for a walk. You can tag along if you want." Kuda curled up in his spot and said, "I think I'll stay here, where it's nice and warm."

Shrugging my shoulders, I stepped out of the apartment and walked down the stairs, making sure to slip past Selma's office like always. I had made it five years without running into her, and I wasn't about to start messing up now.

I stepped out of the apartment complex, and into the cold air. Winter had hit a few weeks back, covering everything in snow. Up ahead, I saw Wrath and Dante leaning on the corner of a building. Nobody had seen them since the day before the Teiden.

I walked up to them and said, "Hey, guys." Wrath was breathing into his hands to try and warm them up. He glanced up to me and said, "H-hey." Dante had his hands stuck into his pockets and said, "Hey. Just ignore him. He was too stubborn to put his gloves on."

Wrath got right up in Dante's face and shouted, "No! You took them! I know you did!" The two glared at each other, and I expected the usual banter to start. _And all because I told them hi, _I thought to myself. "I didn't take your gloves! And even if I did, what would I do with them!" Dante shouted.

Passing people looked at them in confusion, and one woman ushered her kids by them quickly. I snapped my fingers to get their attention. They both turned and looked at me. I said, "Hey, sorry for interrupting, but I just wanted to ask where you two went before the Teiden."

It was just something that I was curious about. Dante glared at his green-haired friend and said, "Genius here made us hide in the sewers during it. I suggested we should have just left the city!" Wrath held his hands up in defense and said, "Hey! We didn't get involved, did we? No!"

Dante threw his hands up in the air and said, "We wouldn't have gotten involved if we had just left the city like I suggested! And it would have smelled better!" I had gotten my answer, but wasn't sure if I should have even asked.

I decided it was best to leave the two before I had to play referee. Something cold hit me in the back on my head, and I turned around to see Wrath and Dante throwing clumps of snow at each other. They stopped when they realized one of their projectiles hit me instead, then dropped the snow they had in their hands and ran.

I shook the snow out of my hair and continued on down the sidewalk. An Akuma, disguised as a normal person, saw me and slipped into a nearby store. I found it amusing how a couple of months ago, I was somewhat of a joke to the Akuma I hunted.

Now, they feared me. After I killed their leader and they discovered my curse no longer held me down, they knew better than the mess with me. In fact, the number of Akuma in the city had decreased drastically since that day.

I walked past the hotel that Alice and the others had stayed at. They had all gone back home not long after the Teiden. I hated to see them go, but not more than I hated to watch Alice leave. She couldn't stay here though. This wasn't where she lived, after all. But there had been times when I wished she did.

I caught a glimpse of something black, and looked around until I saw Teru floating above the daily commuters. I then saw Star not far from her. A month hadn't done anything for his fashion sense. I walked up to him and asked, "What are you doing back here?"

Before the Teiden, if I had even looked at him, I would have gotten cold steel stuck into my side. But now, Star wasn't out to kill me anymore. He had said that I was just too interesting to kill. Although, I still had a feeling he wasn't too fond of me.

I was still an Akuma, after all. He moved a stray lock of his silver hair from his face and said, "I was asked by my superiors to see how things were going here, since this place is now considered the demon capital of the world. But I'm starting to have second thoughts about that name. You're the first Akuma I've seen all day."

I smiled and said, "Then I guess I've been doing a good job at keeping the population under control." Star nodded and told me, "It looks that way. Shame you couldn't join to ranks of the other hunters, but you'd only hurt yourself with the blessed weapons we use."

I had been on the receiving end of a blessing, and it wasn't fun either time. I told him, "Well, even if I did get offered to join, I think I like working for myself a lot more than some boss." Star straightened the white gloves on his hands and said, "That's understandable. Well, I must be on my way."

He walked past me, but Teru remained in front of me. She looked around and asked, "Is Kuda around here?" I shook my head. Teru's ears folded back. "Oh, okay. Thanks." She shot past me and caught up with Star. I smiled, surprised that Kuda had an admirer.

I stopped at the old lake. The sun was already setting, turning the snow a bright orange in some places. I was leaning against the bridge that stretched over the lake, watching as people skating over the frozen water. It was like I could actually enjoy watching life for once.

I had always been too absorbed in my problems to see what was happening all around me. Things were so much simpler now. I smiled and started heading back towards my apartment. As I got closer to the complex, I saw somebody standing outside.

The setting sun made it difficult to see who it was, but it looked like it was Alice. I didn't want to embarrass myself by running up to them, only to find out it was somebody else. I got a little closer to them and said, "Hello? Can I help you with something?"

She turned around and said, "Shun! There you are!" It was indeed Alice. She wrapped her arms around me in a hug, and I hugged back. I was completely surprised to see her. I couldn't help but smile when I asked, "What are you doing here?" She smiled and said, "Well, I decided that I wanted a change of scenery from Moscow, and what better place than Wardington? I already have so many memories here, so why not add onto them?"

I thought for a moment that I might have been dreaming the whole thing. "So, you're moving here to Wardington?" I asked, making sure I heard her right. Alice nodded and told me, "I'm staying at a little hotel until I can find a place. You wouldn't happen by chance know of one, would you?"

I pretended to think of a place before saying, "I think there's this one place nearby, that you can get away with free housing as long as you don't get caught by the rent collector." Alice giggled, and a slight blush crossed her face. She told me, "I might have to check this place out sometime. It sounds just like what I'm looking for. Well, I better get back to my hotel. See you around, Shun."

She started to walk off, then turned back around and placed a quick kiss on my lips. "Bye," she said and walked off. I felt my face get warm. "Bye," I said to nobody before walking up to my apartment. Kuda was in the same place as I had left him. When I shut the door, he woke up and looked around.

"Have fun freezing to death during your walk?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm. I smiled and told him, "Actually, yes. I ran into Teru. She was looking for you." He shot up off the loveseat and got right in front of my face. "You saw Teru today? Why didn't you invite me to go on the walk with you?"

I pushed him away from my face and said, "I did invite you, but you're so in love with the heater, that you didn't want to go. But hey, it's your loss." Kuda shot me a glare then sighed. "Whatever," he said. I changed from the jacket I had on, and into a solid black one.

Kuda asked, "You're going on another hunt?" I zipped the jacket up and said, "Yeah, I've got to stay on top of the game." Kuda grabbed onto my shoulder and said, "I'm going with you. You know, in case we run into Star and Teru and you need back-up."

I laughed and told him, "Alright." I went upstairs and up to the roof of the apartment complex. The cold night air nipped around me. Kuda was shivering on my shoulder. I asked, "Want to go back to the apartment? You won't be much help to me if you're an ice sickle."

Kuda glared at me. "No way. You aren't ditching me that easily." I smiled and formed a sword in my hand, taking in a deep breath of the winter air. _Life is good, _I told myself before jumping down into the alley below. Everything was coming together at last.

* * *

and i finish on an even number. -fistpumps- yes! yes! yes! (all WWE fans will get that, i hope) o.o'' well, i hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as i loved writing it. of course, i'll be my same old workaholic self and probably have a new story up either tomorrow or monday. (i have no life X3) well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


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